Natsu Dragneel I, Son of Igneel, and the Fire Dragon King
by Stormcrown9
Summary: Natsu trained with Igneel for 8 Years, learning as much as he could from Igneel. After his Dragon Parent leaves him, he goes off to find a purpose in life, while also training himself to become the next Fire Dragon King. Luckily for Natsu, he just happens to run into everybody's favorite Crash Mage and was convinced to join his guild. A bit smarter Natsu/way more powerful Natsu.
1. Early Days

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.** **Fairy Tail had so much potential. While it has its bad moments, it also has plenty if-not more good. This is simply my re-telling of the story, here will be the following changes:**

1\. **Natsu will be showing his smart side more often (I've always considered him to be smart, he just doesn't show it in order to fool everyone). He also won't be completely terrified of Erza and Mira, he'll have his moments but he'll have some more spine in general.**

2\. **Natsu will be more powerful, I intend to have him train with Gildarts and Erza, as well as having trained with Igneel for a little bit longer. Natsu will also be getting stronger after each of the Arcs considering he finishes off 90% of the final bosses, he should have been getting progressively more powerful in the canon.**

3\. **Erza will be treated as a Human being, not as a Mary-Sue like Mashima treated her. I find it highly unrealistic that she would easily forgive Jellal for all of the things that he's done even if he doesn't remember or regrets it deeply. That and I'm a Natsu X Erza shipper. Don't expect Jellal X Erza.**

4\. **Igneel will be grooming Natsu to be his successor from an earlier age, he won't automatically know Fire Dragon King Mode right off the bat, however Natsu will be considerably more powerful than he was in canon when he joined Fairy Tail.**

5\. **Natsu will know Crash Magic, cause I love that sh*t and I plan to expand upon the father-son relationship between Natsu and Gildarts.**

6\. **I don't plan to introduce any OCs as of now, I will consider it in the future though.**

7\. **I'll be posting chapters by the Arc. As in I'll finish writing up an Arc and then I'll post it, instead of going chapter-to-chapter. I prefer to not leave on a cliffhanger.**

8\. **For the pairing, I plan to do Natsu X Erza. I'm fine with Lucy as a character, but I don't like her pairing with Natsu. I'll probably only pair him up with other chicks if it's a harem, or possibly Ultear (I really like her).**

9\. **I also plan to space out the years between Natsu's arrival at Fairy Tail and his meeting with Lucy. Aka; Natsu will be older by a few years compared to when he met Lucy in canon.**

 **Alright, giant wall out of the way, here we go with Chapter 1.**

 **"Sup" - Dragon/Demon speech**

 **' _Pfff' - Dragon/Demon thoughts_**

"Sup" - Normal speech

'Pfff' - Normal thoughts

 _ **Unknown Time/Location**_

"Awww come on! You honestly don't expect me to break that rock all by myself do you?!"

Igneel sighed at the boy's declaration. _**'I swear this boy's ignorance will be the death of me',**_ how was the boy supposed to succeed him if he kept this kind of attitude, it was not befitting of a Dragon Slayer, much less a Dragon Prince.

 **"I'm not asking the impossible of you my boy, I know you have the power to do it, stop doubting yourself."** he said with a cocky grin, **"Know that you are a true Dragon Slayer and that you should take pride in that accomplishment. Know that whatever happens that I, Igneel, will always be proud of you."**

Natsu looked down at the ground and then looked to the rock he had slammed his head against, sporting a smile after hearing his father's encouragement. "Ok I'll try again", he then looked to Igneel, "But I still don't know what to do!"

 **"What would a Dragon do Natsu?",** Natsu shrugged and returned to his solemn look from before. **"Natsu my boy, destruction is an aspect of life itself. This aspect is what a Fire Dragon will take to heart, and something that you must take to heart as well. I believe in you my son, I know you can surpass me. Now show me that you can do it!"** Igneel cracked a smile and gestured for Natsu to continue. Natsu returned his smile with a toothy grin and turned back to the rock.

 **"FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN"**

Natsu flew head-first into the rock, shattering it in the process. Even though the giant red bump on his forehead remained, Natsu instantly jumped up and shot his fist in the air. "Yeah! Take that you stupid rock!"

Igneel simply chuckled at this display of his son's power, he truly was going to be a fine Wizard. **"Well done Natsu, that seems to conclude this session. I hope you've learned something from this my boy.",** Natsu nodded and yawned. It seemed that their training session had taken alot out of him, Igneel chuckled to himself inwardly.

 _ **'This is but only the start my boy'**_

~6 Years Later~

Natsu jumped up from his slumber to see the sun begin it's usual trip across the sky, he was excited to know what his father would impart on him today. Today was his birthday and he was sure that Igneel had prepared something special for him. He walked out of the cave that he and Igneel lived in to find the Dragon drawing something on the ground in a nearby field. Igneel turned his head as he had heard Natsu wake up, smiling at his son and then went back to his drawing. After walking over, Natsu's curiosity got the better of him, "Hey Dad, what's that your drawing there?".

Igneel chuckled and turned his head to Natsu, **"Why my boy, it is a Crowning Mark,"** Natsu frowned in confusion as he looked at the large circle on the ground, in and around it were intricate runes and Markings as well as a Dragon spewing flames from its mouth. Igneel continued, **"Normally I wouldn't need to use such a ritual on my heir, however it is tradition in order to name your successor in this fashion."**

Natsu still looked confused, Igneel laughed again which provoked Natsu to get a tick mark on his forehead. "Hey stop laughing at me old man!"

 **"Do not worry Natsu, I am finished with the Mark. All I require is for you to step in the middle of the circle and we may begin the ritual, I wish to name you as the Fire Dragon Prince and my heir."** Natsu calmed down and nodded as he realized the situation, he walked into the circle as Igneel backed away from it and stayed a short distance away. A few seconds after Natsu stood in the middle of the mark, it glowed a faint red on the ground, **"Alright Natsu look directly at me. I want you to perform a Dragon's Roar to recognize me as your King, and I shall perform one to recognize you as my heir."** Igneel calmly stated. Natsu complied and screamed into the sky, his yelling becoming more beast-like and eventually matching a Dragon's Roar. Igneel then replied with his own Roar, however his easily being the more dominant of the two as well as being louder. The Mark on the ground where Natsu stood began to glow brighter, eventually the circle began to catch fire and as it surrounded Natsu, a giant pillar of Fire shot up into the sky.

Igneel smiled _**'It is done'**_ he thought to himself. The Pillar diminished and the glow died out, revealing Natsu with a new mark on his neck that went down to his chest. It looked like a Red Dragon with its tail curling into a circle at Natsu's chest, as well as its wings being spread put.

 **"Well done my son, you have no idea of how proud I am of you. You have learned so much from these past few years, discovering Dragon Force at the age of ten is no easy feat and now that you are twelve, you can begin your first steps into realizing your full potential as Fire Dragon Royalty."** Igneel bowed his head in respect to his son, Natsu did the same to his father. "Your the best Dad that anyone could ask for!" Natsu ran out of the circle towards Igneel and proceeded to hug the Dragon King's claw.

Igneel made an executive decision then and there that perhaps just for today, he and Natsu could relax, **"Let's go fishing Natsu, maybe we can also visit the other Dragons and their Slayers as well!"** Igneel couldn't help but grin as he saw Natsu give him an ear-to-ear smile. "Awesome! I get to see Wendy again!" Igneel chuckled at Natsu's statement as he lowered his head for Natsu to get on.

 **"What about Gajeel? I thought you two were friends?"** Natsu huffed when he heard this, folding his arms and looking sideways "Yeah, like I'd be friends with Metal-head. He's a jerk!"

Father and Son continued their banter throughout the rest of the day. They caught breakfast and visited the other Dragonslayers, Wendy was especially happy to see Natsu. Gajeel and Rogue started bickering and Sting celebrated Natsu's birthday by trying to pick a fight with him, only to get clocked in the head.

The other four Dragons; Grandeeney, Metalicana, Skiadrum, and Weisslogia along with Igneel watched their children run around and play in their clearing from a distance.

 **"They are ready."** announced Igneel. Grandeeney looked closely at Natsu and then back to Igneel, **"What training did you put the boy through? His magic seems to be stronger than the others."**

Igneel knew this would come up, but he had nothing but pride in his answer, **"The boy wanted to grow stronger to protect his friends, anyone who he loves. He put in the work, I simply showed him the way. For now however, we must wait until the Gate is ready, then the world will be in their hands."** Igneel bowed to his friends and walked towards Natsu, who was currently brawling with Gajeel.

"You wanna go Metal-head?!"

"I think you need a good knock on the head Flame-brain!"

"Your one to talk trash-can!"

"That's it! Your going down fire punk!"

The two slayers heads clashed together, they didn't even realize the large shadow that was casted over them.

 **"Enough Natsu. It is time to go, we must begin your new training tomorrow."** Igneel said as he made his presence known to the two. Natsu was reluctant at first but ultimately backed away and climbed onto Igneel. He took one last look at Gajeel and said "This isn't over Pole-dancer!"

Seeing the tick mark form on Gajeel's forehead, Igneel took this chance to begin his flight back to the cave he and Natsu live in. Natsu was laughing all the way back.

For Natsu and Igneel, today was simply perfect.

~Present Day~

July 7th X777

A thirteen-year-old Natsu woke up in the Cave he and Igneel lived in. However it was clear that Igneel himself wasn't present. Natsu looked around before walking outside, detecting no trace of the Fire Dragon, he walked back into the cave and noticed a chest with a note lying on top of it. He picked up the note and opened it, tears falling down his face as he read it.

 _Natsu, my dear son_ _If you are reading this, then that means that I have left. Do not take this as a sign that I do not love you, because nothing could be farther from the truth. I know that I might get some flack for telling you this, but I cannot hide the truth from you. I merged with your body in order to prevent something called Dragonification, a process where a Dragon Slayer who abuses their magic too much becomes a Dragon themself. This has only happened once, and the results were horrifying. While I have left the physical plane, that doesn't mean that I am lost to you. I assure you that we will meet again someday, know that I will always be proud of you. You have taken your first steps into becoming the Fire Dragon King, train yourself my boy, but above all else; live. Live life to its fullest, make friends, fall in love, and never forget that I, Igneel, will always love you._ _Love, Igneel_

Natsu fell to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes. At least his father had told him his reason for leaving, but why now?

After awhile, Natsu finally got up to his feet and opened the chest, inside revealing a set of clothes and a scaly scarf. The clothes consisted of a dark red coat along with baggy white pants that went down to his knees, a black shirt, sandals, and a cloak. Natsu recognized that the clothes that Igneel had given him were fireproof, making thank his old man one last time before setting out. As he walked out of the cave, he wrapped his newfound scarf around his neck, instantly taking a liking to it.

 _'Thank you Igneel, I'll make you proud of me. When we meet next, I'm gonna punch your lights out for leaving me!'_

He looked around but couldn't decide where to go, eventually he just walked west of the cave he used to live in with Igneel. He eventually found a road and immediately got confused, _'Ahhhh! This doesn't make it any easier! Which way do I go!'_

His antics seemed to have caught someone's attention as he heard someone walking on the road to the left of him, he turned around to see a man standing before him. The man himself had orange, slicked back hair and a light stubble on his face. He was wearing a cloak and carried a large pack on his back.

"Hey kid, you get lost or something?" asked the man.

Natsu shook his head, "Not exactly, I just don't know where to go really." the man looked confused for second and then knelt down so his head was at the same level as Natsu's.

"Oh really? Well I just got done with a job and I was heading back to my town anyways, you wanna roll with me? It'll probably be easier than spending the rest of the day wandering around in the forest." The man broke out a small smile.

Natsu pondered this for a minute before deciding, _'Hey what's the harm!'._

"Sure. Why not!" said Natsu as he gave a toothy grin. The man returned with his own grin and held out his hand, "The name is Gildarts, what's your name kid?".

"Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." Natsu shook Gildarts hand, feeling a slight rumble upon contact. Natsu stared at the man for second before asking, "You wouldn't happen to be a Wizard would you?"

Gildarts nodded, he was also surprised at this kid, one for reading his magic and two because the kid himself had extremely high levels of magic. Maybe if he brought the kid back to the guild, the kid might join, but Makarov would be crying his eyes out because of the monster he just let in.

 _'Ah screw it. What's the worst that could happen.'_ he chuckled inwardly.

"How about this kid, I work in a guild for a living so maybe if you want, you could join. It could be a great place to start and you'd fit in well there." he asked in earnest. Half of it was to help this kid find a purpose in life and the other half was to make Makarov suffer from property damage.

 _Make friends_

The words from the letter rang in Natsu's ear. He never let Igneel down and he wasn't about to start. "Why not!" He exclaimed.

Gildarts smiled as he rose up from his kneeling position, "Alright then, let's get going."

The two smiled at one another and began walking down the road, little did Natsu know what he was getting himself into.


	2. Gildarts and Makarov

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **I have also tweaked the story so that Mystogan brought Wendy to Fairy Tail when he found her instead of leaving only for her to go to Caitshelter. Oracion Seis will still happen however it will undergo some more changes.**

 _ **July 9th X777**_

Natsu looked at the campfire hungrily, the giant fish they caught earlier simply wasn't enough to satisfy the boy's appetite. Meanwhile Gildarts kept rotating his eyes from the magazines he was reading, to the kid who looked like he wanted to devour their campfire.

Sighing as he put his magazines back into his pack, Gildarts only focused on Natsu now, still getting no attention from the kid.

"Hey kid, I don't know about you but normally people wouldn't think fire is very appealing as a food." he said. Natsu finally spoke up, "Yeah but it looks so tasty. What did you put in it?"

Gildarts sweat dropped at the kids reply. Did he really think that fire tasted any better than burnt wood and charcoal? Although he found the kids antics to be out of place, he knew that the kid would fit in perfectly back at the guild, everyone there has something weird about them. Still, he found Natsu to be quite enjoyable.

Gildarts figured he'd pop the question, "How about you tell me about yourself, and I'll tell you what I put in the fire. Sound good?" Natsu nodded and began, "I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer! My Father was the one and only Igneel and he taught me everything I know about Dragon Slayer Magic!"

' _I swear, is Fairy Tail a damn magnet for Dragon Slayers? Mystogan brought in the last one and now I find this Pyro. All for the Master's tears I guess.'_ Gildarts chuckled to himself while thinking about how pissed Makarov is gonna be at him.

"Huh? What's so funny old man?" Natsu's question quickly brought Gildarts out of his thoughts, "Ah don't worry about it kid. It's just that we happen to have another Dragon Slayer back in out guild, her name is Wendy." Gildarts then realized what Natsu said entirely, a tick mark formed on his head and his face turned into one of annoyance.

"Can it kid! I ain't old you damn brat!" He yelled. Natsu fell on side laughing at the angry Crash Mage.

The pink haired kid recovered and was met with a fist to his face. He flew back and went straight through the tree behind him, he suddenly got excited at the prospect of a fight. "Alright! Let's go you old geezer!"

Gildarts chuckled and shook his head, his anger from earlier starting to die down "Not tonight Natsu, I'm tired so we'll fight tomorrow alright."

The Dragon Slayer slumped his shoulders and dragged his feet back to the campfire, Gildarts looked really strong and he had been aching to punch something since Igneel left a few days ago. Still he understood the Crash Mage's reasoning, after all he was tired himself.

He sat back down next to the fire and sighed, he might as well fire back with his own questions, "What is a guild?" his onyx orbs looked to Gildarts for an answer only to find the Crash Mage looking at a magazine with very revealing images of women on them. Gildarts looked up at Natsu's question only to see that the kid found out about his favorite pastime (other than drinking).

' _Shit! He's too damn young to be looking at this kind of stuff!'_ he thought to himself, quickly shoving the magazine back into his bag. "Uh sorry, you asked me something?"

Nice save.

Natsu unfroze, he didn't know why he did in the first place. It's just naked chicks right? He remembered back to what Igneel taught him about the subject.

" _ **Natsu, are you aware of the Instincts that comes with being a Dragon? We have what you Humans would call, a huge libido. All of this is in order to reproduce. However we must seek to keep these Instincts in check as it is not befitting to ravish a female of the species in public, unless that's the kind of thing you're into."**_

Natsu didn't really understand what the Dragon was trying to say, but he just might after this encounter. "You're some kind of pervert aren't you!" He said as he jabbed a finger at Gildarts.

Gildarts paled, luckily he thought of an idea and promptly walked over to the Dragon Slayer and knocked him out. ' _Not such a good save after all.'_

 _ **July 10th X777**_

Natsu woke up to find the Sun in the middle of the sky. After running his hand through his hair, he felt a nice bump on his head from where Gildarts had punched him. The Crash Mage himself was hovering over the fire, spitting up a rabbit he had somehow managed to catch despite him being extremely clumsy.

"Why did you have to hit me you damn geezer!"

"You saw something you weren't supposed to, I ain't teaching you how to be a ladies man until your older." Gildarts smiled, he knew the kid could turn some heads but he wasn't going to teach him that kind of stuff until he was at least fifteen.

"Oh now your gonna teach me stuff? Like what? How to be a pervert!" Natsu said grinning, knowing he'd strike a nerve in the Crash Mage.

Just like he expected, Gildarts had a tick mark on his head, "I think that fight we planned shouldn't have to wait any longer." he growled.

Natsu smirked and got into his fighting stance, but he never charged at Gildarts. This confused the Crash Mage because he thought the Pyro would just charge at him right out of the gate.

The two stared at one another, both analyzing their opponent. Igneel taught Natsu that charging headfirst into a fight may as well be considered a loss, a fight required more than raw strength and power and Natsu applied his mind to the fight too.

The standstill promptly finished after the two charged at each other, their fists meeting caused a shock wave that knocked over the trees closest to them. Eventually though Gildarts overpowered Natsu and sent him flying into a rock. Natsu however looked unscathed and quickly flew out towards Gildarts.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"**

Orange and red flames coated Natsu's arm as it flew it Gildart's gut, pushing him back a few feet. The Crash Mage smiled, this kid was better than Mira and Erza together as he had already managed to push him back with one attack.

" **CRASH!"**

The ground beneath both of them shattered, however both of them still stood where were. Gildarts couldn't believe the prodigy in front of him, the old man back at the guild will be bawling his eyes out after all.

Natsu was just about to launch another fist at the Crash Mage but was stunned when it was caught. He looked up to Gildarts to see him smiling, "Alright kid, I got a good feel for your power level, gotta say I'm impressed that a kid your age can hold off against me in a little fight."

"You ain't so bad yourself old man!"

"Don't push it kid, I'm trying to compliment you. Don't ask for a beating."

"Not like you could give me one you damn pervert!"

"I think you were hit too hard ash breath!"

"You wanna go cube prick!"

The two began their bickering, not realizing that they were being watched by a short old man. The old man chuckled loud enough for Gildarts and Natsu to stop fighting and look up towards where the sound was coming from.

Up in a tree that somehow wasn't knocked over from the fighting, was short old man, wearing striped shorts and an orange hoodie, "Heya Gildarts, I see you brought along someone new with you. But how did the job go?" The old man asked, his eye wavering over to the pink haired boy now standing next to Gildarts.

Gildarts smirked "The went well Master. I met this kid while I was traveling back and he wants to join the guild."

Makarov's jaw dropped at the last sentence. He watched their little scuffle, while it wasn't much, he saw the boy hold his own against Gildarts. That alone was enough to make him think of all the paperwork the Magic Council would send him. As he was thinking that, the other two just started laughing.

His focus returning, Makarov jumped down to the ground and approached the two, then holding out his hand to Natsu, "Hello there my boy, now what might your name be?"

"Natsu," said the Dragon Slayer with a toothy grin.

"Well Natsu, believe me when I say I'm astounded that you are able to match my best Mage even if for a short time." Makarov replied with a comforting smile.

"Really? He's the best you've got?" asked Natsu, seeming disappointed.

Gildarts smacked him over the head for that one.

Makarov continued "My name is Master Makarov. A little bird told me that you seem interested in joining Fairy Tail."

"Well my Dad left me but he said to make friends and stuff so I figured this might be a good way of going about it." Natsu said scratching the back of his head, he then looked up and smirked again, "But I just ended up with this old geezer." he finished while pointing his thumb at Gildarts.

Gildarts punched him in head this time.

Natsu went into the ground, groaning in the small crater the force had created.

Makarov chuckled, "You sure he can handle that Gildarts?"

"He's a Dragon Slayer, the brat will be fine."

Makarov paled when he heard that, ' _Wendy doesn't cause much but Laxus won't stop with the damn property damage. Now I gotta deal with this kid too.'_

Makarov stroked his beard in thought, "Alright brat, get up. We're going to the guild, you'll love it there. Lots of lovely ladies too!"

"Great. Another pervert." Natsu groaned as he stumbled up from the hit he received.

"Shut up!" both men yelled at the boy.

 _ **Some time later…**_

Natsu could hear bells ringing in the distance, since his senses were on par with a Dragon's, he could also hear a loudspeaker, "Attention citizens of Magnolia, we are about to undergo a Gildarts shift. Please go to your designated spots!"

Natsu looked in awe at how the City began moving, creating pathways and shifting buildings just for this one guy. Igneel told him of the outside world and how Humans prefer to live in settlements and communities, but what Natsu was seeing was something different altogether.

The three began walking down the middle pathway which lead straight to a large building, Natsu could see the words 'Fairy Tail' on it.

' _Must be the place that Gramps and Gildarts were talking about'_ he thought.

He looked over to Gildarts who was smiling, "Hey Gildarts, why did they move a town for you?"

The Crash Mage looked at the Dragon Slayer and replied easily, "It's cause of my magic. I use Crash Magic, if I get distracted or lose focus, then the town would be a nice pile of rubble."

"And I would lose all of the guilds money," Makarov added. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

When they finally arrived at the building, the city began to move back to what it was originally. Natsu noticed a small crowd of people outside of the guildhall, most of them to be kids. A raven-haired boy who looked to be about a year younger than him stood with four girls next to him, two girls with white hair except one was clearly older were separated by him as the older girl was fighting with another girl who had red, scarlet hair. The last one had dark blue hair and stood in front of the boy, she appeared to be several years younger than Natsu, she felt familiar, however Natsu simply dropped the thought from his mind as he saw the children run up to Gildarts and start bombarding him with questions.

"What was the Monster you beat? Where did you go? Who's the pink haired kid? Did you beat up anybody?"

Gildarts and Makarov chuckled at the sight of the children bombing him with their questions. He then held up his hand and said "Hold up kids, I need a drink." he began to walk inside, with Makarov, Natsu, and the rest of the children not far behind.

When they got inside, Makarov jumped up onto the bar and sat down, he suddenly had a mug appear in his hands. He took a swill before he spoke up, "Listen up brats! We got a new member!" He pointed at Natsu before he gulped down more beer.

"You better not piss him off, I found him and Gildarts fighting it out this morning." he said with a smile.

Everyone in the room cheered for their new comrade and guild mate, while the kids walked up to Natsu to greet him. The small white haired girl went first, "Hi my name is Lisanna! What's your name?"

Natsu grinned, "My name is Natsu Dragneel."


	3. Natsu vs Erza and Mira

**I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **I am back from reading reviews and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, your feedback has been heard and devoured. Know that I do plan to work on the length of the chapters as the first two were mostly typed out on my phone, I am working on my surface now for the weekend. The next two or three should be focused on Natsu's years at Fairy Tail and afterwards we'll pick up the story.**

The rest of the kids introduced themselves; the boy who was grumbling to himself was Gray, the girl in the armor was Erza, the girl who Erza was fighting with earlier (and is still currently fighting) is Mira who also happens to be Lisanna's older sister. The younger girl in the group who had dark blue is the Dragon Slayer who Gildarts talked about, Natsu bowed to her in respect. He recognized the mark of Grandeeney when he saw it.

Igneel taught Natsu how to recognize the markings and spawn of the Dragons, as it is his responsibility as the Fire Dragon Prince to know these things. The girl identified herself as Wendy, he swore he heard that name before but he couldn't quite place it. Wendy also knew of the greeting, as she bowed to Natsu in response while also taking a knee, confusing the rest of the group.

"Hey Wendy, why are you bowing to the new kid?" asked Mira, she looked more pissed than confused though.

Wendy got up from her knee, a light blush dusting her cheeks "He is royalty so I must pay my respects."

All the noise that was going on in the guild instantly died after she spoke. Natsu could hear a few people though, due to his heightened senses.

"Yo the new kid is royalty?"

"I don't see it. Wouldn't he be dressed better?"

"Didn't the Master say that he found him and Gildarts in the forest?"

"Yeah like this kid would be royalty," said Gray, trying make it seem like he doesn't care. "I bet he's just trying to look cool."

Natsu clenched his fists, ' _How dare this brat insult Igneel!'_. Wendy noticed this and took this chance to back up behind Natsu. However though Natsu calmed himself and took control of the situation, "My father is the Fire Dragon King Igneel, he named me as his successor and heir. Wendy bowed to me because her mother is one of my father's advisors and a close friend." he looked around to rest of the guild, giving an expressionless face.

"Any more questions?"

Everyone slowly went back to their business, the kids however still stuck around Natsu, now in awe at the new member that would be joining, the two exceptions being Mira and Gray. Natsu noticed this but was distracted as he turned to see the Master approach him with a stamp in his hand.

"So Gildarts tells me that you must be really strong if you can hold your own against him. Maybe we could discuss that later too, anyways where would you like your guild mark?" Makarov said calmly.

All of the kids except for Natsu froze, even Mira and Gray spat out what they were drinking, "Seriously! This guy matched Gildarts!?" asked Mira. Gray though looked as if he didn't buy it, "I don't believe it, no one could fight Gildarts and live."

Natsu simply ignored him this and looked to Makarov, "Right shoulder, in red please."

After Natsu got his guild mark, he was approached by Gray, who has now seem to have lost his clothes, "I don't believe a single word of it. Total bullcrap is what it is. I bet Gildarts went easy on you just to spare your feelings."

Natsu however, didn't seem impressed at all, "Whatever you say stripper." he said as he walked to a table.

A tick mark formed on Gray's forehead, he'd been ignored by the new kid, he wasn't about to let that slide.

"ICE MAKE: LANCE!"

Three poles of ice shot towards Natsu but melted instantly when they got within a few feet of him. Gildarts smirked, the kid shot down Gray's attack by just sitting there, this kid was going to make things very interesting. As for everybody else, their jaws dropped at the sight.

Natsu jumped up from his spot on the bench in front of the table he was at and walked towards the Ice Wizard, stopping in front of him. He promptly punched Gray in the gut and sent him flying through the ceiling, "That was for being a brat."

"Gray!" yelled Erza, she then turned to Natsu, anger clearly spread on her face "I challenge you to a duel!"

Natsu grinned while Gildarts chuckled, "I accept."

"Hey tin can! I wanna fight the newbie so your gonna have to wait!" Mira yelled at Erza, Natsu raised an eyebrow as he could hear murmurs spread throughout the guild.

"Well the new kid is dead for sure now,"

"He was probably gonna go down against Erza anyways,"

"Didn't you guys hear? That kid held his own against Gildarts, if anything he'll beat those two without breaking a sweat."

Natsu was ready to begin the fight outside considering that he knew he'd cause some form of damage, however he looked back to both of his opponents and sweatdropped at the sight.

"I challenged him first you damn witch!"

"Well your just gonna have to wait your turn fatty!"

Natsu cleared his throat loud enough to both of their attention, both looking his way after he made his presence known, "How about I fight you both. Who knows? It could be fun." he gave them an ear-to-ear smile.

The Knight and the Demoness looked to each other and nodded, forming a truce to beat this upstart who just joined. Erza wanted to fight him because he knocked out Gray, which was her job and Mira wanted to just out of pure curiosity. The three walked outside of the guildhall, the rest of the guild tailing them albeit from a good distance away. They ended their walk in a clearing not too far into the forest outside of Magnolia, Natsu on one side, and Erza and Mira on the other.

The guild was taking bets on who would win, with everyone including a recovered Gray betting for Erza and Mira, while Gildarts and Master Makarov bet on Natsu. Today is payday!

 **Play: Dragon Force OST**

Makarov walked forward "Alright brats we are sealing the bets, now the fight will begin on my mark!" he looked to both sides for confirmation, Natsu nodded his head while Erza and Mira made a "Hmph!" simultaneously.

"READY?! GO!"

Natsu stood exactly where he was, staying in the same spot while Erza and Mira rushed him.

"REQUIP: BLACK WING ARMOR!"

Natsu smirked as he saw the two rush him, today was going to be very interesting indeed. "Hold on girls, I ain't ready for our fight yet. Just let me get ready and we'll be good to go." he heard Gildarts snicker at his comment, however just as he expected, the two girls did not stop their attacks.

"MOON FLASH!"

"EVIL EXPLOSION!"

The spot where Natsu stood exploded, when the dust settled it revealed Natsu to be standing in the same spot, completely unscathed from the duo's attacks. "I told you two that I'm not ready yet, but since your so eager, I guess I can indulge you both," he gave them an evil smile.

Gildarts turned to Makarov, "Hey Master, we might wanna move back a bit further." Makarov nodded as his face paled.

Back to battle, Erza shivered as she noticed something that Mira failed to recognize; Natsu hadn't moved from the spot he was in from earlier. Mira looked to her comrade and chuckled, "Getting the jitters now tin can? I always knew you were a chicken!"

Erza glared at the Demoness but quickly rebutted with her reason "He hasn't moved from either of our attacks! Do you know what that means!"

"That you pay too much attention to detail?"

"No! Our attacks didn't even affect him in the slightest! They did nothing at all!"

Mira wide-eyed at the revelation, she was rash not stupid. Even though she strongly disliked Erza, she couldn't deny the Knight's prowess in battle. So when this newbie simply shrugged off both of their attacks, she realized just how this was gonna turn out, they'll have to give this fight their all if they want to win. She looked to Erza, figuring that the Knight had come to the same realization.

Whatever confidence they had regained had run off somewhere as Natsu stepped forward, they could feel the magical pressure building up around him while also gradually increasing with each step he took. He reminded them of Gildarts and how much of a monster he could be when it comes to his power.

"You two both asked for this, so I'll just have to teach you a lesson instead." he continued his stride.

Erza and Mira regained their composure and continued their combined assault. Hoping to gain some ground against the Dragon Slayer before them.

"REQUIP: HEAVEN'S WHEEL!"

"TAKE OVER: SATAN SOUL!"

"DARKNESS STREAM!"

"DANCE, MY BLADES!"

A black stream of energy as well as a flurry of swords flew at Natsu, who was still continuing his stride forwards, a calm yet stoic expression on his face.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S FLAME BARRIER!"**

A wall of flames appeared in front of Natsu's hand. The stream of darkness and the wave of swords clashed against the barrier but ultimately accomplished nothing as the swords melted and the darkness was burned away completely by the flames.

Natsu dissipated his flame barrier and continued his walk. On his face a smirk gathered, "Congratulations, you've managed to put me on the defense. However let me tell you that it won't happen again. I noticed that you've been curious to see my magic, let me show it to you."

Erza and Mira paled and looked at each other. He had just been playing around earlier, there's no way a kid this young could be as strong as Gildarts.

 **Play: Dragon Slayer Theme**

Natsu leaned back to fully accumulate his flames in his mouth, rearing his head in preparation for a roar. Erza's eyes widened at the actions of Natsu, it was very familiar to what Wendy would do during their training sessions but this felt as if it had unimaginable power behind it. Feeling his power build up, she knew she had to act fast.

"REQUIP: ADAMANTINE ARMOR!"

" **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

Closing the shield together at the last second while in front of Mira, she could feel the intense heat and even felt her feet scrape against the ground as she was being pushed back to the edge of the clearing.

When the flames died down she fell to the ground exhausted, her armor and shield shattered. She looked behind her to see that the clearing had been somewhat extended in the direction the Roar was shooting to by several hundred feet. Mira appeared to be exhausted as well, albeit for different reasons as she had flown a bit farther than Erza had and the heat took a much heavier toll on her than the Knight.

Much further away from the fight, Makarov's ghost could be seen floating above his body, regaining his composure he stepped forward. "Alright I'm calling this fight!" he went to step further but was stopped by Gildarts.

"Wait a second Old Man, keep watching. Besides if he does go overboard, I'll be the first one to stop him." he smirked. He didn't know Natsu for very long, but he knew him well enough to know that Natsu liked to impart lessons, much like Gildarts himself. It was as if Gildarts had found a pink haired clone of himself.

Makarov was still reeling from Gildart's statement, ' _The brat is still holding back?! What have we just let into the Guild?'_

 **End Music**

Natsu sighed, he had warned them after all, but they never listen. He turned away from his opponents, figuring that they were finished.

"Hey, we ain't done yet flame breath!" yelled Mira

' _Impressive, they aren't giving up. I love this Guild already.'_ he thought as he turned around. Erza and Mira were back on their feet, although they obviously were not in the best of shape. Erza re-quiped a sword that she was using as a walking stick and Mira kept on dragging her feet, both of them looked as if they were going to pass out at any moment.

He smiled, "It seems that I am unwilling to let you both win, so I guess I gotta use my full power on you two," his smile then suddenly vanished, and all that was left was a face devoid of any emotion. "Behold the power of the Fire Dragon Prince, kneel before me and surrender, you cannot win."

His magic began to flair up again however this time it was much stronger, suddenly Natsu was surrounded by flames as his magic shot into sky like a giant tower of orange and red fire. The magical pressure was unbelievable, even Makarov could feel it at the distance he was standing at.

Erza's and Mira's faces hardened at his words, refusing to give up their pride, they rushed Natsu once again with newfound strength. That newfound strength instantly vanished as soon as he opened his eyes, the two girls came to a dead stop in front of him, despite the intense heat, they were shivering in fear.

Mira raised her fist to attack, but ultimately dropped to her knees first. Erza quivered as she tried to raise her sword, she could re-quip into her Flame Empress Armor, but she knew that even these flames would burn through it. She couldn't do anything, and she hated it, she tried to be brave but now she had a look of absolute fear plastered on her face. Erza did the only thing she could do, the thing she never wanted to do, but the thing she had to.

Fall onto her knees before the Fire Dragon Prince.

The pillar of flames slowly died down, the pressure in the air returning to normal. Natsu smiled warmly as he looked down to the two girls kneeling before him, ' _They can't be that much older than me. Damn I might have scarred them for life with that.'_ he frowned when he realized that they were crying. ' _Shit, I might have overdone it.'_

"I commend your tenacity, Mira and Erza. For that alone, you have gained my respect." he said kindly, his warm smile returning to his face as he noticed the two of them look up at him at his surprise compliment. "However that doesn't mean than power alone will help you win battles. When you apply the right tactics and thinking, when you set your mind to it, you can do anything."

"Becoming strong for the sake of becoming strong isn't how you go about it. You need a drive for yourself, a goal, a belief, or maybe a person, a family even. As long as you want to protect that thing with your entire being, that is how you become stronger." he finished.

"Well done kid, you know for someone as dumb as you, you sure got some wise words canned up in your head." said Gildarts. Natsu hadn't even heard him approach, but growled nonetheless, "Who're you calling dumb Old Man?"

Gildarts ignored that comment, barely being able to keep himself from knocking the Dragon Slayer over the head. Erza and Mira attempted to stand back up, however their legs failed them and they just slumped back to the ground. Gildarts chuckled at their attempts and walked over to Mira, helping her up. He motioned to Natsu to help up Erza.

Natsu walked over to Erza and picked her up bridal style, her face turning the colour of her hair at the sudden change in scenery. As they were walking back to the rest of the guild, she looked up at Natsu and quickly looked away, another tear streaming down from her left eye.

"What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

She paused for a moment before muttering, "I'm weak." still looking down in shame from her defeat.

"No you're not."

She looked up in surprise, she didn't think he heard her, "Yes I am. I failed in defeating you, I failed my friends."

"Just cause you lost one fight doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Honestly it's harder for me to swallow my pride than you two, it is another thing I picked up from my Dad after all. You have to learn when to choose your fights, after all you can't always win every fight you come across, unless you're a Dragon that is." he said with a sly grin after the last part.

Erza giggled, a light blush forming on her cheeks. Seeing his attempt at humor work, Natsu continued "And if you like, I could always help you along the way."

His statement surprised her and even himself to a smaller degree, Erza never thought she'd be in this kind of situation and Natsu never thought he'd say something like that so sudden. He'd taken a liking to the scarlet-haired girl, she had the drive he spoke of, she just needed to be shown the way.

He was even more surprised at her answer.

"I'd like that Natsu." she said full of energy, as if their previous battle never happened. Her cheeks now taking a full blush after realizing what she just said.

Natsu was about to reply, however Gildarts had beaten him to the punch, "I know you two lovebirds would like to go on, but Mira here doesn't look so well. I recommend that we pick up the pace." Natsu and Erza immediately looked away from each other, both blushing from embarrassment.

Natsu could only chuckle at the Guild's reaction to his victory, all of them excluding Makarov and Gildarts had their jaws on the floor. The two girls who terrorized the guild hall were single handedly defeated by the new kid, it was scary enough with them around but who knows what's gonna happen with this kid.

Gildarts looked to Natsu and smiled, "Thanks for the money kid, practically everyone in the guild bet against you." Natsu grinned, Gildarts and the Old Man had been the only two to bet on him. "Mind if I grab some of that? I do need a place to stay after all." he asked.

Gildarts laughed, "Sure thing kid, it's not like I need it anyways. I recommend you get your own place though, rent in this town is a pain in the ass."

They stopped in front of the Guild, Makarov standing across from them with a smile on his face "I see you had fun my boy, lots of excitement for your first day huh? Let's head back to the guild and get these two to the infirmary, after that we'll show you around." Natsu nodded in agreement.

He went to step further but was stopped by a recovered Gray, anger spread across his face. "What the hell flame brain! You punched me through the ceiling and then you hurt Erza and Mira, that ain't how we treat people in Fairy Tail!"

Natsu's smile faded from his face, it seems this ice cube didn't learn his lesson "I know you weren't there, but they actually challenged me first. I also gave them a chance to surrender."

"It's true Gray." spoke up Erza.

"But Erza look at yourself! You can't even stand!" he yelled.

"He gave us one too many chances to back down and we didn't listen, it's our fault we got hurt."

"But he-"

"Stop it Gray, or do you need to be punished?" she said, her frown turning into a stare. Gray huffed and went to walk next to Cana, clenching his fists while doing so.

The two watched him go, Natsu looked down to see Erza yawn and rest her head against his chest, he jolted upon contact but he settled into it. He figured that she deserved her rest.

"Might I add that you did extremely well. I'm glad that you're part of the guild I'm joining." Natsu interjected.

Erza blushed for the last time before falling asleep in his arms, going to sleep with a smile on her face. A faint blush dusted across his cheek, Natsu then looked to Makarov who looked at the two with a smile on his face.

"Are you ready to begin your new life my boy?"

Natsu nodded, "I'm as good as I'll ever be."

Makarov grinned, he then turned to address the Guild "What a day my children! Let's head back to the guild hall and do what we do best when we get a new member! LET'S PARTY!"

The Guild cheered in celebration for their new member, most of them crowding around Natsu as they walked back to the Guild, asking questions and the like. Natsu couldn't help but grin at how lucky he was, not that he would ever say that to Gildarts.

 _ **Two Weeks Later**_

Her eyes fluttered open, she looked around her to see where she was. She was in the Guild's infirmary, her arms and chest covered in bandages, clearly from her fight with Natsu.

Images of the pink haired boy flooded her mind, she blushed when she remembered his warm smile, and especially how he carried her back to the guild hall in his arms.

"Thinking about pinky huh?"

Erza whirled her head in the direction of the voice. it came from Mira, who was lying in the bed next to her's, a smirk spreading across her face as she got the reaction she wanted out of Erza.

Said reaction was Erza getting flustered, she looked away not wanting Mira to see her face for any longer than she had to.

"N-No I wasn't! Just about how bad we lost was all…"

"Whatever, I'm definitely gonna get that punk next time though." Mira said as she folded her arms.

"I hope you two both have something to learn from this experience." a new voice chimed in.

Both girls looked around the room trying to find the source of the voice.

"Down here."

They both looked down to the floor, Master Makarov standing there with his arms behind his back. Somehow the look on his face struck a balance between stern and kind.

"There is nothing wrong with admitting defeat my children. It is like the boy said, you cannot win every fight that comes your way. Sometimes the only thing you can do is to surrender, but when the thing you love most is being threatened, giving up is never an option." he said, a smile forming across his face.

Erza and Mira looked at each other, then down to their Master. Makarov continued "However, do not let this discourage you from becoming stronger, I'm sure that you two aren't the only ones who are keen on beating Natsu."

He gave them both a smile and walked out of the room, Erza asking after him "Master, where is Natsu?"

Makarov stopped and turned around, his face paling as he answered "He's out with Gildarts. Apparently our Ace thought it would be a genius idea to teach him Crash Magic."

Both girl's faces paled. It seemed like Gildarts was intent on creating the ultimate monster, first him now Natsu. Put both together and you have the pile of rubble that was once Magnolia.

Erza looked down at the floor, her face looking crestfallen. Makarov noticed this and chuckled, "Don't worry Erza, I'm sure you'll see your boyfriend again. He left something for you." he gestured to the bedside table next to her bed, there was a letter with a rose over it.

Erza's face turned the exact colour of her hair "No! Master it isn't like that!"

Makarov and Mira chuckled, although the Demoness stopped and looked confused "And what did he get me?"

Makarov pointed to Mira's bedside table, there was a bouquet of white roses. They looked fresh, too. A blush crept onto her cheeks too as she thought of the pink haired Dragon Slayer.

Erza reached for the letter on her bedside table, she re-quiped a knife and opened the envelope. She breathed in the scent of the rose and then began her reading.

 _Hey Erza, you're probably reading this cause I'm not with you at the moment. I went out with Gildarts so tell Mira that I'll be back in a few months so she can have her rematch, Gramps told me you'd be fine so I took his word for it. Besides, you're really strong so I think you'll be fine. Anyways, I didn't know what to get you since I don't really know you that well, but Gildarts told me that girls like flowers so I got some for you and Mira. I honestly don't get what's so special about them though, I mean they're just plants right? Plus salads suck anyways, ahh I don't know. Girls are confusing._

 _Anyways, see you around Erza!_

 _Natsu_

She smiled as she put the paper down, a blush creeping along her face.

She looked at Mira and said "It's high time we got up, let's get to it then." Mira nodded in response. Both girls walked out of the infirmary with smiles and blushes on their faces. Natsu was already bringing life to the guild.


	4. 9 Years Later

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, not me.**

 **Hey everybody, here we are again. Let me just clear some things up from last chapter.**

 **1\. Natsu as he was in the last chapter wasn't stronger than Gildarts, he still has a little bit to go before matching Gildarts in a long term fight. He was only able to match Gildarts last time because he was going easy on Natsu.**

 **2\. I decided to skip the 9 year gap between when Natsu joined Fairy Tail and the beginning of the canon story. I'll cover what happened during those years in Flashbacks (I'll spread them out so they won't take up a huge amount of space).**

 **3\. Natsu will be proficient with Crash Magic, not to the degree that Gildarts is but he will be pretty close.**

 **4\. I'm not hating on Gray so don't worry, he'll get his own time to shine.**

 **I might be kicking Lucy off of Team Natsu because I'll have Mira be in her place instead, it's also because for the life of me I can't write for Lucy.**

 **Also, tell me how I did on the Natsu X Erza stuff, it's my first time writing romance so I'd like feedback! I'd also like feedback on how I did the fight scene so I can improve upon it later.**

 **Anyways, let's get to Chapter 4!**

 _ **Port town of Hargeon X784**_

"What! This is the only magic store in town?"

"Well this is a fishing town, Wizards rarely go through here so there isn't a massive demand for Magic stores. I bet that most people here don't even know how to use magic." the store owner replied.

"Aww man I came all this way for nothing." Lucy said pouting, "What I really want are some powerful Gate Keys."

"Gate Keys huh? Well I happen to have this one right here." he said as he pulled out a small red box, opening it to reveal a silver key inside it.

Lucy perked up instantly, "Awesome! How much does it cost?"

"20,000 Jewel."

"I'm sorry, how much was that again?"

"I said 20,000 Jewel."

Lucy sat upon the counter, sitting in a quite revealing position, "Aww come on, I'm sure you can cut me a deal?"

 _ **10 minutes later**_

"I can't believe that old man knocked off a thousand jewel! Am I not appealing? So much for my feminine wiles." she exclaimed as she marched through town.

"Salamander's here!?" one girl suddenly said.

"Are serious he's really here?!" another asked.

"Salamander? Isn't he the Wizard that uses Fire Magic you can't buy in stores?! What's he doing in this dump?" she asked herself as she made her way down to 'Salamander'.

 _'Why is my heart beating so fast?! Is it because he's a famous Wizard?'_ she thought as she saw him, her sudden change in emotions confused her to no end. Why was she suddenly charmed by this guy?

"Excuse me for moment, but I have a few words for the Salamander."

Lucy turned her head to see a young man, a year or two older than her. He had shoulder length spiky pink hair, around his neck was a long scaly scarf, and he looked to be wearing a long brown cloak with shoulder pads, underneath the cloak he wore a dark red coat with no shirt, revealing his well toned chest to all, he was wearing white baggy knee-length pants and sandals.

He smiled at her and gently pushed past her, making his presence known to 'Salamander'.

"You're not doing a very good job at pretending to be me. I never usually put myself out here like this, but I'll make an exception just for you." the man grinned evilly.

'Salamander' widened his eyes but before he could react in any other way, he was sent flying into the wall behind him, his heart-shaped ring shattering as soon as he hit the wall.

"Another one bites the dust," he muttered. As the crowd of girls cleared away, the pink haired man walked up to the unconscious 'Salamander' and removed him from his indent in the wall, throwing him onto his shoulders.

"Natsu, did you have to show off?" one asked.

"Well at least you didn't overdo it this time!" another chimed in.

"Hmph!" the last one motioned.

Lucy turned around to see a young, dark-blue haired girl who was wearing a green knee-length dress. Standing in between a blue cat and a white cat. She had a sweet smile spread across her face, the blue cat had his tongue out, and the white one had a look of annoyance on her face.

"C'mon Happy, you know that's how I always roll." said Natsu, a grin spreading across his face. He whistled as he started walking towards the group, a squad of Rune Knights marched over to his position.

"Is this the assailant?" the Knight in front asked.

"Yes. One Bora the Prominence right here for yah!" Natsu replied as he handed the unconscious Bora over to the Rune Knights. They marched away, leaving Natsu to return to his friends, but instead he stopped and turned to Lucy.

"What're you lookin' at lady?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

His question knocked Lucy out of her gaze, sending her back to reality "Thank you for breaking that creep's charm spell, I can't believe he'd resort to such a cheap trick to lure in women." she then remembered what he said earlier, _'You're not doing a very good job at pretending to be me,'_

She froze at her realization.

"You-You're the S-Salamander!" she stammered out.

"And? What's your point?" he replied, looking bored.

"You're a Wizard from Fairy Tail!"

"So what? You wanna join or something?"

She instantly started nodding her head, which started to make her feel dizzy. This caused Natsu to burst out laughing, still after all of the lessons Gildarts taught him about women, he still found them confusing.

He stopped his laughing to see her pouting in front of him, he cracked a smile and motioned for her to tag along, "Well come on then, we were just about to head back anyways." he said as he turned around to head back to his group, Lucy following close behind.

"Hey Natsu, who's the blondie?" asked Happy.

"I don't know, she said she wants to join Fairy Tail though. That's good enough for me." he replied, putting his hands behind his hand.

Wendy sweatdropped at their rudeness, she looked to Lucy "I'm sorry about those two, they aren't exactly the most polite people. Even though Natsu is a Prince, he doesn't seem to know what manners are."

"What! He's royalty too?!" Lucy exclaimed. Wendy nodded in response, albeit looking a bit confused. She still had no idea why people had a problem seeing Natsu as royalty, despite the way he carries himself, he dresses rather humbly.

"Alright everyone, we ought to catch the next train before it leaves. I'd rather we not have to stay any longer than we have to, c'mon you'll love Fairy Tail." Natsu said holding up his hand, taking control of the situation.

The five of them began walking to the train station, Happy being a little pain in the ass brought up one of Natsu's former worst enemies: motion sickness. "Natsu, I thought you hated trains. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Natsu sighed, his little buddy was being a pain again "Look I just have some bad memories ok! The hell that Gildarts put me through made sure that I won't get sick ever again!" he remembered how Gildarts left him stranded on a boat out on the sea for two months before he was able to fly back to Fairy Tail. He ate for three days straight, and then proceeded to give old Gildarts a good knock on the head.

"By the way, I forgot to ask you your name." asked Wendy as she looked at Lucy. Natsu also turned turned as he forgot to ask as well.

"Oh my name is Lucy! I know it's a bit late but it's nice to meet you!" she said happily, a smile forming on her face.

"Forgive our rudeness earlier Lucy, Natsu had heard that there was a Salamander in this town and he came to investigate, turns out it was only just someone pretending to be him." replied Wendy.

"I bet that poser couldn't even breathe fire like a Dragon too." Natsu added.

"Aye!" said Happy.

"Must you be so crude in front of Wendy?" asked Carla.

Lucy giggled at their antics, she wondered what she was getting herself into.

 _ **20 minutes later**_

Even though Natsu had gotten over his motion sickness, he couldn't help but feel unpleasant while they were on the train during their trip back to Magnolia. He tried his best to listen to Lucy prattle on about stuff he already knew, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so.

He was pulled out of his daze when he heard his being called.

"Hey Natsu, what kind of Magic do you use?" asked Lucy, she was curious to know as she never saw him use it against Bora, at least she never outright noticed that he used the tiniest fraction of his Crash Magic on Bora's charm ring.

Natsu folded his arms and looked out the window of their car, "I don't think I should show you Lucy, sorry but I don't want Gramps to get mad at me for blowing up this train by accident."

Carla spoke up "Hmph! First responsible thing you've said all day."

Wendy nodded in agreement, Happy was too focused on his fish, and Lucy simply gaped at Natsu's response to her question. "Don't worry Lucy, I'll answer your question!" Wendy said quickly.

"Natsu uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic and Crash Magic, both magics by themselves are extremely destructive, but since Natsu has control and proficiency in both, our guild master has banned him from using either unless the situation is dire. He's currently learning Requip magic too!" she said ecstatically, she was very proud of her fellow Dragonslayer and Brother-figure.

"So even if he used just a little bit, he could blow up the train?! What the hell did he do to become so powerful?!" Lucy asked, flabbergasted that someone who is so powerful sat in front her.

Happy perked up, "Natsu was trained by the Fire Dragon King Igneel, so he essentially has the power of a Dragon at his fingertips, then he learned his Crash Magic from Fairy Tail's Ace, Gildarts. I guess you'll understand when we get to Magnolia though."

Natsu simply ignored them for the rest of the train ride, he was excited to get back to Magnolia, he needed a drink.

 _ **3 hours later**_

"Attention citizens of Magnolia, we are about to undergo a Natsu shift. Please go to your designated spots!"

Lucy shivered in fear as she witnessed the city moving for this one man, said man having a shit eating grin spread across his face.

"Never gets old does it?" He asked them, he looked to Lucy and figured her reaction would have been similar to his when he first witnessed the shift, "Don't worry about it Lucy, I was scared shitless of Gildarts when I witnessed the town move for him."

His statement still did nothing to comfort Lucy as they walked down the straight road that lead the large building at the end of town.

"Hey Natsu, seems I was just in time eh?" a voice the left of them called out, "Damn shame they started calling these things after you, I guess it just depends on whichever of us shows up first."

The group turned to see Gildarts walking down a path heading towards the middle road they were walking in currently, Natsu grinned, today was getting better and better, he now had his favorite drinking buddy with him.

"Hey Old Man, how'd the job go?" he asked.

"Didn't go so well. I'll tell you about it later, but first I need a drink." Gildarts replied, he looked over to Lucy "New recruit?" he asked Natsu. The Dragon Slayer nodded "We picked her up after dealing with that phony Salamander in Hargeon."

Gildarts chuckled "You keep this up kid and you'll be better than me with the ladies, anyways how much you wanna bet that the ice cube attacks you on sight as soon as we get in?"

"I'm not betting on it, I'm counting on it."

"Aye sir!" chirped Happy.

The rest of the walk up to the guild was mostly just the group listening in on Natsu and Gildart's conversations. After awhile Lucy got curious and asked Wendy "What's the deal with those two?"

Wendy replied excitedly "Gildarts is a somewhat Father figure to Natsu, usually Gildarts would be off doing extremely hard S-Class requests but he always made time for Natsu. I think it's mainly because Gildarts sees a bit of himself in Natsu, their more similar than they think, that's for sure."

They both watched the two laugh and bicker, Lucy could definitely see the bond they shared being displayed in front of her. They were like two peas in a pod.

The walk to the guild came to a stop when they were in front of the building itself, the guild hall standing proud, they could hear laughter inside.

As they walked up to the doors, Lucy expected Natsu and Gildarts to open the doors, much to her horror they both walked through each one, creating massive holes in them.

"Hey, we're back." Natsu said nonchalantly, ignoring the fact that he blew a hole in the door behind him. Gildarts also appeared to not be affected by it either as they both walked to the bar with smirks on their faces, "Lisanna, some whiskey please." they both said simultaneously.

Wendy and Lucy sweatdropped at sight before promptly walking through the holes that the two Crash Mage's left in their wake, along with Happy and Carla. They were instantly met with a guild wide brawl taking place on the first floor. Lucy looked to the bar and saw Natsu and Gildarts clinking their glasses together and cracking smiles, they both seemed oblivious to the mini-war that was going on on the other side of the guild hall.

"ICE MAKE: HAMMER!"

As predicted, Gray rushed at Natsu with a giant hammer of ice however Natsu paid him no mind. The Hammer proceeded to land on Natsu's head, and shattered instantly into tiny cubes. Natsu sighed and turned his head towards Gray, who had a look of fear and anger on his face.

"Dude, can't I at least have one drink before you tickle me?" Natsu asked, giving off a tired look.

"I swear flame-brain, one of these days I'm gonna kick your ass." Gray hissed back.

"Yeah, sure." Natsu said as he flicked Gray's forehead, sending him flying into the warzone that was the Fairy Tail guild hall. He turned back to Gildarts and continued their conversation, before being interrupted again albeit from someone else.

"Ohhhh Natsuuu" a voice purred, Natsu muttered to himself "Shit." he looked around only to see Mira running up to him. Gildarts chuckled as he saw Mira promptly sit herself on Natsu's lap, Natsu himself had no complaints but he looked around the guild hall to see some patrons stop brawling and look at the display. Natsu looked at some of the patrons and noticed the jealous looks they were giving him, his response was to sweatdrop.

"Every time I get home you gotta do this. Why Mira? Why? Do you enjoy watching me suffer?" he asked.

Lucy started stuttering from the sight "Th-That's Mirajane?!" Wendy nodded as she sweatdropped, "Yeah, she seems really familiar with Natsu already doesn't she?"

This woman is Mirajane Strauss, one of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages and the top rated model for Sorcerer Weekly. Known for her reputation as the 'She-Demon', she often teases and causes mischief throughout guild but she's always had a soft spot for Fairy Tail's pink haired Dragon Slayer, although teasing him is usually the best part of her day.

She herself, unbeknownst to Lucy, retained her fashion statement from childhood, having her silky white hair in a ponytail that fell down to her back with bangs in front. She wore a black leather jacket over a grey tank top and blue jeans with black knee-high boots.

"Oh come on Natsu, you know I just love spending time with you." she teased as she wrapped her arms around the Dragon Slayer's neck, making him groan in annoyance in response.

Gildarts roared is head back, unable to contain his laughter. He was proud of this kid, that's for sure, just as he predicted, the kid was picking up women left and right and he appeared to be doing so without trying.

"Natsu! It isn't manly to be hitting on my sister!" Elfman yelled as he rushed Natsu, Gray seemed to have recovered as well and was right behind him.

Natsu gave Mira a soft smile and whispered in her ear, his breath traveling down her neck sent jolts throughout her body, "If you send those two packing, I'll let you stay in this exact spot for as long as you want." he finished as he gave her a peck on the cheek.

The She-Demon sprung into action at his request, a blush on her angry face "Do you two need to be taught a lesson? Erza ain't here so I might have to do it for her!" she grinned evilly. Instantly, as if by magic, the two stopped dead in their tracks as soon as they saw Mira's blushing glare.

"WE'RE SORRY!" they both yelled while getting onto their knees.

Lucy sweatdropped, this was the guild she'd been wanting to join? They were all crazy!

The brawl in the guild started getting out of hand soon, but it was stopped abruptly as a giant appeared in the middle of the guild hall "STOP FIGHTING THIS INSTANT YOU DAMN BRATS!" the giant yelled. All fighting in the guild hall stopped, Lisanna spoke up from behind the bar "Oh Master, I didn't know you were still here!"

Lucy screamed inwardly, 'What! This is their Master?!'

The giant looked over to Lucy, "IT SEEMS WE'VE A NEW RECRUIT EH? AND OUR ACES HAVE RETURNED AS WELL!"

The giant began to shrink until it stopped to reveal a tiny old man, he was wearing an orange hoodie, orange shorts, and an orange and blue striped jesters hat. He walked up to Lucy "Nice to meet yah!" he then turned around and jumped up to the bannister on the second floor, while also hitting his head on it. He cleared his throat, "You damn brats! Do you know how much paperwork the magic has been sending me?!"

Silence followed, but then a smile formed on his face "But I say to hell with the Council!" the papers in his hands suddenly lit on fire and he threw the flames at Natsu who promptly ate them.

"Magic is about one's being, about how a person brings it out of them and expresses it themselves. It is about how said being is connected and synchronized with the world around them, if you follow the rules your entire life then your magic will never progress. Don't let that pesky Council scare you, follow the path you believe in. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT MAKES FAIRY TAIL NUMBER ONE!" everybody cheered as he finished, Natsu and Gildarts clinked their second round of whiskey and they were about to drink when they heard Makarov yell at them.

"NATSU! GILDARTS! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU BOTH ABOUT USING THE DOORS!? I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET NEW ONES AGAIN!" he yelled as he walked up to them. He saw Mira on Natsu's lap and calmed down a bit, _'Lucky little bastard,'_ he thought as he jumped up onto the bar next to them.

Natsu chuckled, "Sorry Gramps, guess I forgot again." scratching the back of his head.

"For the millionth time, it isn't hard to open the damn doors!" Makarov exclaimed. These two were hopeless at this point, Gildarts had already rubbed off on the Dragon Slayer. Gildarts himself also scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, he never knew how he kept on forgetting that the doors were there, it just happened.

Natsu perked his head up from Mira's cleavage which was promptly shoved in his face a little bit before hand, "Oh Lucy come up and me- Oof!" he said looking to the blond before Mira hugged his face back into her chest.

"Lucky little shit" both Gildarts and Makarov muttered.

Lucy walked up to Makarov and introduced herself, "Hi my name is Lu-" she stopped as she felt something touch her bottom, she turned her head and saw that it was Makarov's hand. "Pervert!" she screamed as she kicked Makarov.

The old man recovered, a red mark from where he was kicked on his face, he still had a smile on his face though "Feisty! We have plenty of women like that here in Fairy Tail, go talk to Lisanna about getting your guild mark!" he exclaimed.

Lucy sweatdropped, turns out that her new Guild Master is a total pervert. She walked over to Lisanna who was cleaning mugs behind the bar, hopefully there were some people in this guild who were sane.

 _ **3 days later**_

Natsu awoke earlier than he usually would, normally he would stay in bed until ten in the morning, but today was a special day. Today was the day he'd get to see his favorite scarlet haired mage again since she finished up her job. He was excited not only because he had missed her, but because of her vow that she made to him.

Flashback*

 _"When I get back, I'm going to show you just how strong I've become. No holding back on me Natsu." she declared._

 _"And here I thought that we'd be fighting for fun Erza. You know that if I go all out, Gramps is gonna die from the paperwork right?" he chuckled as her confident demeanor soon turned into a pout._

 _"Aww Erza, you're so cute when you pout like that. You'll make me shed some tears if you keep that up."_

 _Her face turned to that of her hair, she knew that he liked to tease her mercilessly but she secretly loved it. This time however, she wasn't prepared._

 _Natsu laughed, "Don't worry Erza, I'll be sure to give you a good fight when you get back. Just make me proud by giving a good entrance."_

 _The Knight looked at Natsu, now full of determination "I'll be sure to give you a great one, Natsu." she winked back at him as she walked out of the guild hall._

Flashback end*

He smiled fondly of her, the slightest blush creeping on his cheeks. He promptly got out of his bed and walked over to Wendy's room, knocking on it to notify her "Wendy, I'll be at the guild if you need anything." he heard an "Ok," in response.

He walked back to his room where he found Happy asleep in his tiny hammock, he nudged him awake "Hey Happy get up, we're going to the guild." Happy's eyes barely opened but his face had one of annoyance plastered on it.

"Natsu why did you wake me up?! I had best dream ever, there was fish and flying fish and even more fish!" he jumped up, now flying in the air with his wings.

"Cause little buddy, Erza's coming back today and I wanna get there now so I can drink with Gildarts." he replied, he thought he sounded rather reasonable, but Happy wasn't convinced.

"Why do you two drink in the morning? It's kind of weird actually."

"Hey! It's not weird ok, we just like drinking booze is all!"

"It's probably not even good for you either, I'm surprised Magnolia isn't a pile of rubble by now considering how much you two drink."

"I'll give you a fish if you come with me to the guild."

"Aye sir! Drinking early in the morning is completely normal!"

Natsu sighed, _'Maybe I should get Erza to deal with him or something. She's really good at scaring Gray so maybe it'll work on Happy.'_

The pairs antics got Wendy out of bed along with Carla, so Natsu decided that he should cook up breakfast first and then head to the guild. Natsu thanked himself, Gildarts, Erza, and Mira. They all built this magnificent house after all, which was surprising considering when you take Gildart's magic into account, he was actually pretty good at building a house. Of course, when it was finished he had accidentally disassembled the entire thing. They were lucky though because he simply reassembled it after, but not before he earned two murderous glares from Erza and Mira.

The house itself wasn't too big like a mansion, but it was big enough to hold a decent sized family, two bedrooms, a guest room, a master bedroom, kitchen, two bathrooms, etc. It was more surprising since they actually lived a good distance away from Magnolia, but not too far away so that the town wouldn't have to constantly shift for him. Natsu valued his seclusion despite being a party animal, and he wanted to keep it that way.

The walk to the guild was routine, but they got there early enough. Gildarts was there, but Makarov appeared to be absent which got Natsu curious, usually the old man would be in here by now.

Lisanna was maintaining the bar, while Gildarts was sitting on a stool next to it. Natsu broke from his group and sat with him, "Where's Gramps?" he asked as he motioned Lisanna to head over to him.

"He's at a Guild Masters meeting in Clover, said he'd be back in a day." Gildarts replied, he looked over to the pink haired Dragon Slayer and thought that this would be a good time for teasing, "So Erza's coming back today right?" feigning ignorance as he knew that Natsu knew perfectly well when she would be back.

Natsu caught wind of what the Crash Mage was trying to pull, "You want me to confess or something?"

"Whoa there buddy, I never said anything about a confession, you must really have Erza on your mind a lot." Gildarts chuckled before a fist met his face.

The Crash Mage laughed as he got back up on his stool, he always loved teasing Natsu about Erza. Gildarts knew for a fact that Natsu had a secret crush on Erza, and he hung around Erza enough to know that she harboured feelings as well for the Pyro. Both of them were simply too stubborn to admit it.

Gildarts thought that this couldn't get any better, but then Happy chirped in "You liiiike her!"

That's when Gildarts exploded with laughter, and also how he was sent into the ground. He got up and dusted himself off, and sat down in his stool again. He smirked, "Alright kid, I'll stop."

Natsu sighed in relief, "I was about to give you another beating old man."

Gildarts spat out his drink in annoyance, promptly standing up and meeting Natsu's forehead with his own.

"You just got lucky last time you damn Pyro!"

"Maybe, but I still beat your ass Cube prick!"

"I think you need to be taught another lesson fire punk!"

"You wanna go old man?!"

The rest of the guild watched in terror as their Guild's two most powerful mages were bickering back and forth like children, their magic scaling up to frightening heights.

Eventually the two calmed down and enjoyed a bottle of whiskey. Natsu didn't actually want to fight Gildarts this time, not because he's powerful, but because of what the Crash Mage told him a few days ago.

Flashback to 2 days ago*

 _Natsu had just returned from rescuing Macao at Mt. Hakobe and he planned to help Lucy with her first job tomorrow, he was going to head home but he told Happy to head back instead, Natsu had to make a stop at Gildart's house._

 _Gildarts lived closer to town than he did, I guess he figured that he also wanted to keep the town at rest from the shifting._

 _He walked up to the Crash Mage's door and knocked lightly, almost making it fly off its hinges. Natsu winced slightly, but sighed in relief when he heard Gildarts call out to him, "Hey Natsu push the door open, don't break it."_

 _Natsu pushed the door open and chuckled "That's a lot more concern than we show for the guild hall doors." Gildarts laughed with him._

 _"Alright what did you want to talk about?" he asked._

 _Gildart's face grew grim, "While I was out on my job, I met a Dragon. He wasn't red like Igneel though, black as night and ruthless as hell. In fact he's the reason why I didn't complete the job."_

 _Gildarts removed his cloak to reveal his prosthetic limbs and his torn up abdomen, bandages wrapped around his chest._

 _"He took off my arm and my leg, and then he gutted me. This Dragon is a friend to no one, I know what your thinking, but I barely escaped with my life, fighting this thing is suicide." he finished._

 _From Gildart's description of the Dragon, Natsu could only think of one being that matches it._

 _"It must have been Acnologia." He declared, the Dragon King is an enemy of his father, and Natsu's enemy by extension, but now he also hurt Gildarts._

 _"Yeah kid. I know you'll be able to take that monster down eventually, but you need to train more for that to happen. You told me that only Igneel would be able to fight him head on, but you'd be ripped apart like me. Don't make the same mistake I did, don't go after him."_

 _Natsu nodded in agreement, as much as it pained him, the Crash Mage was right._

 _"Well shit conversation aside, you wanna grab a drink?" Gildarts asked._

 _Natsu formed a small smile on his face, "Yeah let's go."_

Flashback end*

Only him and the Master knew what had happened to Gildarts, if everyone in the guild found out that one of their Aces was gutted by a Dragon, it would spread panic.

His thoughts were ended as Loki dashed into the guild hall, out breath as he relayed a message "Erza's back!"

The entire guild hall was thrown into chaos, hell was about to come down on them in most painful way possible. Only Gildarts, Natsu, and Mira didn't show signs of fear, "Excellent, I get to beat up the tin can!" she exclaimed.

Silence fell in the guild hall as a shadow was cast on the floor in the shape of a giant horn. Then she entered.

Erza Scarlet, in all her glory and beauty, entered the guild hall carrying a giant horn on her back, a warm smile across her face as she saw Natsu looking at her in amazement. She was wearing her classic Heart Kreuz armor with a blue skirt and black boots, her red hair flowing perfectly in synch with the air around her.

The guild hall was silent until clapping was heard, and it was coming from none other than Natsu himself, he stood up and walked over to Erza.

"Great job Erza, carrying home a trophy on your back like a badass, I hope you had a good time." he said.

To everyone's surprise, she began stuttering as a blush broke out on her cheeks. "T-thanks Natsu, but the reward they gave me was more than enough." she said, she was ready to melt at the sight of him but she continued to stand.

"Hmm well in any case, here's my welcome back," he said as he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

He chuckled as he leaned back, seeing her face rival the colour of her hair, her face having a slight pout meaning she wanted more.

Erza's knees shook violently _, 'Did he really just do that in front of the entire guild? He should know that I have a reputation to uphold!'_ she did her best to regain her composure, however a blush was still plastered on her face.

"Hey fatty! What are doing to my man huh?!", Mira yelled.

Erza's face hardened, "He's not yours you damn strumpet!"

Gildarts chuckled, _'That kid's got the two most beautiful women in the guild fighting over him, I don't know if he's lucky or doomed.'_

Natsu also chuckled while he slowly backed away, heading back to the bar and sitting next to Gildarts. He was ready to watch the fireworks.

Many men in the guild looked at Natsu, contempt and jealousy in their eyes, wondering how he was able to rein in the two hottest and scariest women in the guild.

As the two rivals were fighting over the pink haired Dragon Slayer, Gray walked up to Natsu and asked "How do you do it man? She's so damn scary."

"I know this is a surprise to you Gray, but chicks like it when you say no to them." he replied with a smirk, Gildarts chuckling and nodding in agreement.

Gray shook his head in disbelief and walked away, "Perverts," he muttered loud enough for Cana to hear.

"Gray, your clothes!"

"Ahhhh! Why does this keep happening?!"

The Guild returned to their usual business, however it wasn't long before Erza walked up to Natsu and Gray, the latter trying to provoke the Pyro while he was nursing his drink.

"Natsu, Gray, I need a favor from you both." she put on her stern face.

"Hmm, what is it Erza?" said Natsu coyly, he gave her a shit eating grin. She felt vulnerable whenever he gave her those, she always said she hated it but like his teasing, she loved it.

She shook her head to remove those thoughts from her head, this was a serious matter after all.

"Dammit Natsu if your going to tease me then do it later, I need help from both of you." she said, fighting back a blush.

Natsu's face got serious, Erza only asked him for help if it was extremely important, "What's going on?" he asked.

"Yeah Erza what's happening?" Gray asked.

Erza sighed in relief, "I've heard rumors of Dark Guild activity and I need your help to take them down. I will explain on the train, you both will need to pack."

"Can I bring Wendy?" asked Natsu, he wanted her to get some more experience as a Wizard.

Erza was about to respond when someone else cut in, "I'm coming too tin can! I gotta make sure you don't pull anything on my Dragonslayer!"

Erza held back her anger successfully before turning to Natsu to answer his question, "Of course she can." she said, now forming a smile.

"Hell yeah!" he yelled, excited that his foster sister was gonna kick some Dark Guild ass.

Gildarts laughed, _'Damn, three of Fairy Tail's S-Class, along with Gray and Wendy. Master is gonna have a heart attack.'_ he thought.

Those five were gonna be one hell of a team, that's for sure.


	5. Eisenwald

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **This chapter should be released along with its follow up, I do plan to post the Arcs together so this will probably have been posted a few days after the last one. Up next is Galuna Island which will follow the same treatment as this one, the only Arc that I would post chapter-to-chapter would be GMG (I have some amazing ideas cooked up for that one already).**

 **Anyways let's get to Eisenwald.**

 _ **Clover, Guild Master Conference**_

Makarov was nursing his beer at his table when a bird flew down with an envelope in its claws. He took the envelope and opened it, what it read almost gave him a heart attack.

 _Hey Master_

 _Something awesome happened while you were away, Erza got back and she asked Natsu and Gray for help to take down Eisenwald. Wendy and Mira also joined their team, isn't that great! They could be Fairy Tail's strongest team ever!_

 _P.S. Gildarts said he wants you back now so he can go and take another job, I think he's getting really antsy now that neither you or Natsu are there to drink with him though._

Makarov's ghost was flying out of his head, ' _It's bad enough that Natsu is there, but now Mira, Gray, and Wendy? Those five could destroy this whole country if they wanted to. I have to make sure they don't blow up a city or something even worse!'_

 _ **Era, Magic Council Chambers**_

"Those idiots at Fairy Tail have gone and done it again!", one council member yelled.

"We should have disbanded those miscreants a long time ago!", another agreed.

"Those two Aces of theirs have the biggest habit for destruction!", a third pitched in.

"I'm not so sure," a blue haired man spoke up, creating silence throughout the room, "I rather like them, after all without them this world would be rather dull. I say we keep those fools around." he finished, causing the council to erupt into chaos.

Finally the man in between them all slammed his staff into the non-existent floor, "Silence! The Fairy Tail guild has not broken any law presented by the magic council as of yet, therefore they will not be disbanded. I, Gran Doma, conclude this meeting as Chairman of the Magic Council!" he slammed his staff on the ground again and his image disappeared.

The remaining members returned to their respective offices, one of them being a beautiful purple haired woman, ' _Seems you've been making a name for yourself Natsu! I can't wait to see you again.'_ she thought to herself.

Meanwhile the blue haired man had similar thoughts, ' _Natsu Dragneel, the Dragon's son. You shall not get in the way of my plans.'_

 _ **Somewhere on a train**_

Natsu cursed the training that Gildarts had given him, it had worked too well and had weeded itself into Natsu's behaviour. It had worked 'too well'

'Too well' was the fighting between Erza and Mira that was happening on the train, it was deafening to say the least.

"We didn't need you to come along you useless harlot!"

"I wasn't aware that you were in charge fatty!"

"Maybe I need to beat that into your thick skull you damn slut!"

"I don't know what Natsu sees in you, your armor just makes you look ugly!"

Natsu decided he had enough of these two, "Stop bickering you two! We are on a job and it is unbefitting for two ladies of our Guild to bring shame to the guild by doing so!" the two girls immediately stopped fighting and lowered their heads in shame.

"We're sorry Natsu," they both said at the same time.

Natsu cracked a smile, "Don't apologize to me girls. why don't you take a look at Wendy and Gray?"

Wendy and Gray appeared to be frozen in terror from the display that the two women gave off, both of them groaning as they fell unconscious.

Natsu chuckled and looked back to Erza and MIra who were sitting silently, he finally decided to answer Mira's question "Mira among the other things I like about Erza, her scarlet hair is quite amazing.", Erza blushed while Mira seethed. Natsu took it upon himself to calm down the She-Demon, "And Mira, I know you have a sweet side that you don't like to show off, why am I the only one who gets to see it?"

Mira blushed too as she struggled to find her answer, she'd never really been that kind to anyone, not even her siblings had gotten the special treatment that she gave to Natsu. As she continued to find her answer, Natsu simply laughed at the Take-Over Mage, making her pout in response.

"Jeez, you two are the cutest when you pout." he said.

Earlier before the argument between the women began, Erza had explained the situation to them. The Dark Guild known as Eisenwald had obtained an artifact of the Legendary Black Wizard Zeref known as Lullaby, since it contained Death Curses and was in the hands of a Dark Guild, they needed to bring in the fire power.

It was sometime after that conversation when they finally arrived at their destination, the group got off the train and retrieved their luggage. As the train sped away to its next destination, they realized that one of their group was not with them.

"Uh guys, where's Natsu?", asked Wendy.

They looked around and then it hit them.

"Dammit, he's still on the train!", cursed Erza.

 _ **Back on the train**_

Natsu smelled death, it was coming off of the guy in front of him after all. The guy in front of him appeared to be a few years younger than him, his black hair was tied in a ponytail, and wearing all white clothes.

"Hello there, do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked.

"Make yourself at home dude." Natsu replied instantly.

The man sat across from him and stared at him for a minute before beginning his tirade, "You're from a legal guild aren't you? I guess you have a lot of girls in your guild huh, my guild doesn't have many girls, I don't suppose you'd like to share?"

Natsu ignored him, he was enjoying the view that the window provided for him. He did sense however, that the man's body tensed up.

The man continued, "You're from Fairy Tail aren't you, isn't Mirajane Strauss from there? I suppose she'd make an excellent who-" he was cut off as a fist hit his face. He gasped from the pain of the hit, what was surprising was that he didn't even see Natsu move to hit him.

His face turned to one of anger, "You legal guild flies think you're hotshit, you all don't even know what true power is!" he said as he tried to reach for his bag, only to find that it wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" said Natsu as he was twirling an unusually shaped flute in his fingers.

The man paled, he'd been found out, Erigor was not going to be happy about this.

Natsu stashed the flute in his coat pocket and was about to finish this fool before the train suddenly stopped. He looked out the window only to see Erza driving towards him in a magic four wheeler, he looked back to where the man in white had been and he was gone.

"Dammit." he gritted his teeth in frustration. He jumped off of the train and began to walk up to Erza, who had gotten off of her magicmobile. she had a worried look on her face, along with Mira who had just also gotten out of the car.

"Natsu are you alright!" they both said simultaneously. Then they both looked at each other with glares on their faces, "Back off, he's mine!" they both said at the same time again.

Natsu, Wendy, and Gray sweatdropped. These two seriously needed to work together.

"I'm fine girls, I just had a little tumble with one of those Eisenwald guys is all."

They both were about to ask if he was hurt or not, but he held up his hand before they could let loose, "It was very one-sided I assure you. Plus I was able to snag this little piece as well." he said as he pulled out Lullaby from his coat pocket.

They all dropped their jaws as Natsu began to nonchalantly twirl the flute with his fingers.

"I don't quite know where he went, but I suggest we head to the station where this train was headed." he finished as he walked to the four wheeler and got onto the driver's seat. He motioned for the rest of them to get in.

 _ **Elsewhere**_

"Kageyama, what happened?" asked Erigor impatiently.

"One of the Fairy Tail flies caught me off guard and stole Lullaby." he was sweating now, nervous that the Reaper might take his life for his failure.

"You disappoint me Kageyama, no matter we will deal with the flies soon enough." he replied.

Kageyama sighed in relief.

"Gather the men, we shall go forward with our initial plan." Erigor said, getting up to his feet and smirking "We shall end those pesky Fairy Tail flies once and for all."

 _ **Back with Team Natsu**_

They had finally arrived at their destination, Oshibana Town. A crowd was gathered outside of the train station, Natsu and Co. walked up to the guards who were keeping citizens out.

"We are mages from the Fairy Tail guild tracking down the Dark Guild known as Eisenwald. Are they inside?" Natsu asked one of guards.

The guard nodded in response and made way for them to enter. When the group got inside they found the corpses of the military littered throughout the building, eventually getting to the main hall and finding the dark guild waiting for them.

"Why hello there little flies, I see that you have caught up with me and my friends." said Erigor menacingly, sitting on top of his scythe.

Unbeknownst to the group, a shadow appeared behind them and snuck up to Natsu, reaching out for the flute that was in his pocket. It searched around but found nothing.

"Looking for this again?" asked Natsu as he looked at the shadow that was still present on the floor, the Dragonslayer still twirling the flute in his fingers.

The shadow turned back into Kageyama as he tried to grab for it, but was knocked to the ground unconscious by Natsu. Natsu chuckled and tapped his nose, "Never underestimate a Dragonslayer." he turned back to Erigor, who now had a look of fear spread across his face. The plan had hinged on Kageyama stealing back Lullaby, but this fly had taken him out with one hit.

"Men! Deal with the flies!" he said as he flew away with several henchmen.

Natsu turned back to his group, "You guys go after Erigor and his goons, I'll deal with the grunts here." They nodded as they chased after Erigor down another hallway, Natsu turned to the small army that was the dark guild Eisenwald.

"I'll give you all to the count of three to kneel before me and surrender." he said sternly, his unwavering gaze going over them all.

Eisenwald burst out laughing as Natsu began his countdown, "One," he said as his magic began to flare up, cracks in the walls and the ceiling above him appearing. The dark guilds laughter died down when they felt the sudden magical pressure weigh them down to the ground, they were struggling not to pass out from the heat.

"Two," he said as the pressure increased, some members of the dark guild fell to their knees. They didn't want to know what his power was like when the countdown finished.

"Three. Time's up." he said finally as the ground began to shatter beneath him, almost all of the Eisenwald members were on their knees now, though there were still some who struggled to not give up their pride.

Natsu simply raised the temperature, making them all pass out with light burns on them. He rolled on his sides laughing "Gets them every time!" he laughed. He stood back up and checked his pocket, but the flute was gone. "Shit!" he said, ' _That shadow freak must have taken it while I was dealing with the grunts. It shouldn't be too hard to find him again though.'_

 _ **With the others**_

They could feel the magical pressure from the main hall, it was getting increasingly more powerful and then it suddenly dropped.

"What the hell was that?" asked Gray.

"Oh that was probably Natsu." Wendy replied easily.

Erza and Mira smiled warmly. Despite their acclaimed differences, they both held the Pyro close to their hearts.

"We have stop Erigor before he escapes, let's split up into teams of two." Erza said suddenly, "I will take Wendy, Mira you take Gray and head down that way."

Mira replied with a "Hmph!" before heading down the hallway to the right of them, leaving Erza and Wendy to take hallway to the left.

 _ **Back with Natsu**_

After he addressed the people gathered outside the station and got them to leave, he turned to find the train station surrounded by a giant wind wall, "What the hell…" he said.

"I've always wanted to fight the famous Salamander, but unfortunately I don't have time to deal with you." a voice came from behind him.

Natsu turned to see Erigor, Lullaby in his hand. "So how's this gonna work exactly?" he asked.

"I'm going to fly over to your little guild masters meeting in Clover and then I'll give them a little surprise." Erigor said as a Purple Magic circle appeared under Natsu, ' _Shit.'_ he thought as he fell through.

He appeared behind the wind barrier back at the station. He was about to punch through the wall when he realized that he could just get Wendy to eat it all.

Conveniently, the others ran out of the build, Gray carrying the shadow freak on his back.

"Natsu!" they called out, all of them running over to him.

"Natsu what happened?" asked Erza, she was worried after all.

"I got the citizens out of here, but that wasn't Eisenwald's true target. He's heading over to the Guild Masters Conference in Clover right now with Lullaby, and before you ask, the shadow freak stole it back from me when I was dealing with those grunts." he replied.

He then looked to Wendy, "Wendy I need you to consume this wind wall asked chase after Erigor, you're faster than me at long distance and I know you can beat him. You should know what his scent is like, so just use your nose to follow him." he said full of confidence.

Wendy nodded and turned to the wind wall, she slowly began consuming it and when she finished, she was gone in an instant, leaving the rest of them behind.

Natsu turned back to the group with a smile on his face, "We better hurry up then." he said as they ran to a magicmobile.

 _ **With Wendy**_

She sped her way along the tracks, using her nose to track Erigor's scent.

Erigor felt a cold wind brush against his back, which wasn't normal considering he was a wind Wizard. He turned around and saw a blue haired girl flying so fast it was blinding.

Wendy cocked her fist back and threw a punch at Erigor, sending him flying into a nearby pillar off of the tracks and into the canyon below.

He recovered and started flying in the air, floating up to the tracks and facing off against Wendy.

"So the Salamander sends a little girl after me, my my the arrogance of you Fairy Tail flies is unbearable." he grinned after his statement.

Wendy didn't reply, giving him an intense glare which set him off a bit.

He readied himself.

"STORM MAIL!"

The wind around Erigor suddenly changed into the shape of armor around him, he smirked, "There's nothing you can do while I'm like this girl!" he thought the battle was won, this girl couldn't defeat him, the mighty Erigor the Reaper.

He thought wrong.

 **Play: Dragon Slayer Theme**

Wendy simply started eating his spell, his armor went away instantly, to say that Erigor was shocked would be an understatement.

"What kind of monster are you, to eat my spells! What are you?!"

Wendy grinned evilly, just like her brother would, "I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard."

Wendy sucked the air in and leaned back, the similar roaring stance that Natsu would use.

" **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"**

A tornado of blue wind came flying out of her mouth as she roared at the Reaper, battering him and throwing him down onto the tracks. When the dust settled, Erigor's limp but unconscious body lay in the middle of the tracks broken and beaten.

 **End music**

Next to him was the Demon Flute Lullaby, apparently it wasn't scratched whatsoever.

"Phew, that took a lot more out of me than I thought. Maybe I'll just sit here and wait for the others." she said to herself, now calm that the disaster was averted.

 _ **10 minutes later**_

Natsu and the others pulled up in their magicmobile, stepping off from his seat, he saw Wendy dangling her feet off the edge of the tracks. A few feet away from her lay a defeated Erigor.

Natsu couldn't help but crack a shit eating grin as he ran up to his sister and hugged her, "I am the luckiest guy in the world to have a sister like you. You'll be S-Class in no time!"

Wendy hugged him back, grinning from the compliment he had given her.

Erza and Mira smiled at the sight of the two, making them both think ' _He's really good with kids too…'_

Gray went up to Wendy too to congratulate her as well, Fairy Tail mages were definitely awesome, that's for sure.

A now awakened Kageyama stepped out of the magicmobile, ' _Erigor lost. And to a little girl no less.'_ he saw Lullaby and took this chance to complete his mission.

Natsu was too distracted bragging about his sister to the others to realize that Kageyama had stolen the flute and had just connected himself to the magical four wheeler.

"HAHA YOU PATHETIC FOOLS!" he yelled as he sped off to Clover.

' _Damn, I was too busy showing off Wendy to the others!'_ Natsu thought to himself.

"Sorry Natsu, I wish I was stronger, that attack took a lot out of me." Wendy said as she looked down at the ground.

"Don't sweat it Wendy, you did good today and that's enough for me!" He said as he offered his back so she could piggyback ride him. She accepted and he turned to the others with Wendy on his back.

"Let's get this done the old fashioned way I guess."

 _ **Outside of Clover**_

"Oh she looks pretty good too!" Makarov said as he looked at the magazine he borrowed from Gildarts.

Kageyama sweatdropped, ' _So Fairy Tail's guild master is a pervert… Why do I keep running into these flies?'_

He cleared his throat, making his presence known to the tiny guild master. Makarov did a complete 180° and his jaw dropped, "This isn't what it looks like! I was just doing some research!"

"I don't care what you do though…" Kageyama sweatdropped.

Makarov stopped freaking out and studied the young man in front of him, "You aren't looking so good there my boy, maybe you shouldn't be wandering around the forest in your condition."

Kageyama nodded as he put on a smile "Sorry but would you mind if I played a little song? They wouldn't let me play at the Hospital and it would mean a lot to play for someone again."

"That's one creepy flute you got there my boy,"

"I know but it has a beautiful sound,"

"I should be going to stop my Mages, but I guess one song couldn't hurt!"

"Thank you sir,"

Team Natsu arrived on a cliff overlooking Clover, they could make out Master Makarov and Kageyama just down below them.

Erza, Mira, and Gray went to move forward, but Natsu held up his hand for them to stop, almost accidentally hitting Wendy.

"Wait guys, let Gramps work his magic." he said sternly.

"He's gonna kill him Natsu!" said Gray.

"You might wanna listen to your Ace, we're about to get to the good part." pitched in another voice.

"Master Goldmine."

"How's it going' Natsu? Is Gildarts still the same as always?"

"Yeah I guess you can say that." the Dragonslayer chuckled.

They continued to look at the two figure below them, it seemed that Kageyama was having some trouble trying to play the flute. Then Makarov began his speech.

"Weaklings will stay weak forever. But weakness is not evil, since human beings are weak creatures to begin with. Alone, you feel nothing but insecurity; that's why we form guilds, that's why we have friends. We walk together in order to live a strong life. The clumsy ones will walk into more walls than the others, and it may also take them longer to get there. If you believe in tomorrow and put yourself out there, you can naturally obtain your strength. That's how you will be able to smile and live strong."

Only a few moments later did Kageyama drop the flute and fall to his knees. Natsu could hear him say "I surrender."

Natsu smiled, Gramps had done it again. That was his true magic, not his Titan or Light magic, but his ability to inspire people to do the right thing.

"Alright guys, let's go spill the beans to Gramps about us." he said finally, running down to Makarov.

As the small group celebrated their victory, Erza forcibly hugged Makarov for his speech, Mira clung to Natsu's arm, rubbing her breasts against it, and Natsu repeatedly patted Makarov's head. Wendy gave Makarov a kiss on the cheek for his speech too, it had motivated her to get stronger for Natsu.

"Looks like we got to see Gramps talk his way out of another one again." said Gray.

Little did they know that Lullaby had awakened right next to them.

" **HAHAHAHAHA! I'VE GROWN TIRED OF YOU FOOLS! I WILL NO LONGER HOLD BACK, I SHALL COME FORTH TO DEVOUR YOU MYSELF!"** the voice appeared to be coming from the flute itself, a massive purple magic symbol appeared above the Guild Masters building. Out of the circle came out a three-eyed demon, it looked tree-like in appearance.

Before it stomped on the building, the remaining Guild Masters came running outside and away from the scene, up to where the Fairy Tail wizards were.

"Erigor never said anything about a monster?!" exclaimed Kageyama.

Goldmine spoke up, "It must be a demon from the book of Zeref."

Natsu turned to Makarov, "Gramps, I think I may need to cut loose this time." he said with a grin as he walked away from the group and towards the demon. Makarov's face paling as he realized that he'll never hear the end of what's about to happen, "Alright everyone, we oughta give Natsu some space." he said walking away from the display.

"But Master he may need our help!" yelled Erza.

"Yeah, he can't take on that thing all by himself!" agreed Mira.

"Girls, I know you worry for him, I do as well. But believe me when I say, he can handle it." said Makarov, leaving no room for argument as he walked away. Everyone else followed, and even though they were reluctant at first, Erza and Mira followed. Leaving Natsu to face down the Demon Flute Lullaby.

 _ **With Natsu**_

Natsu cracked his neck as he walked up to the edge of the cliff, making himself known to the Demon. Lullaby laughed as he saw this tiny human walk up to him confidently, " **HAHAHA, THEY SEND A SINGLE HUMAN TO FACE ME! HAS THE ARROGANCE OF HUMANS GROWN WHILE I LAY DORMANT?!"**

Natsu grinned, "Listen, I don't wanna bore you with small talk and stuff, since you're a demon and all. I usually give my enemies a chance to stand down, but I won't make that decision with you." he said as he smiled evilly.

" **IT APPEARS I WAS CORRECT, HUMANS HAVE GROWN ARROGANT! NOW DIE YOU PEST!"** Lullaby screamed as he raised his hand and shot a massive purple beam out of his hand at Natsu. The Dragonslayer grinned madly as he raised his hand in response to the purple beam flying at him.

As soon as the beam consumed him, it turned into purple cubes as it disassembled. Lullaby froze as he saw Natsu still standing in the same spot he was in, however the spot itself being a crater.

"Now it's my turn," said Natsu as he raised his other hand and put both together in a prayer stance. He closed his eyes and focused his magic.

" _ **Cleansing the darkness and spreading truth! The sacred flames of the Fire Dragon shall light the way!"**_

" **FIRE DRAGON'S CLEANSING FLAME!"** , he opened his eyes to reveal that they were completely red. Lullaby screamed in horror as he began to burn, how could a mere mortal have the level of power to instantly bring a Demon of Zeref to its knees? The area surrounding the Demon began to turn black and charred, then cracks started to from on the ground as well, giving way to Natsu's Crash Magic.

" **YOU SHALL RECEDE INTO NOTHINGNESS LULLABY! NOW BURN!"** Natsu roared, his voice sounding almost dragon-like. As soon as he finished speaking, Lullaby was instantly covered in white flames, his limbs burning away instantly. The ground beneath him shattered like glass as he was plunged into a huge pit that was once the Guild Master's Meeting Hall.

It was done, Natsu scaled down his magic and fell to one of his knees, he had gone overboard again with his magic power. He recovered quickly and turned around to see his friends running back towards him, he smiled as he sat down on a rock exhausted.

"NATSU!" they all yelled excitedly, they were glad that their comrade was safe.

Natsu was about to get up from his seat but was tackled by Erza and Mira to the ground "Oof!", apparently the two women had gotten over their rivalry for the moment and had teamed up to get back at him for worrying them.

Natsu sat up, still having the two clung onto his chest. He smiled "You know you two might just be the death of me if you keep hugging me like this," he teased. He winced as the two hugged tighter than they had before, he wrapped his arms around both of them, they all had had a long day and they deserved some rest.

"Well done my boy, you have no idea how proud I am of you." Makarov stated as he walked up to Natsu, looking to Erza and Mira who had their heads in the Dragonslayer's chest ' _Damn brat is getting all the women, Gildarts taught him too well for his own good!'_

"What the hell did you do to our Conference Building?" asked one guild master. Makarov paled and looked to Natsu, "We best be leaving brat, the other guild masters will have my head for this." he said quietly enough for Natsu to hear. Natsu nodded and jumped up, the two girls clinging to his body yelped him surprise. He whispered to them both and the three of them grinned as they took off on race back to the nearest train station, Makarov, Gray, and Wendy following behind.


	6. One Busy Day

**I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **I couldn't help myself with this chapter because I did put in some NatsuxUltear (I love that pairing too so get off my metaphorical back).**

 **Alright, so after this chapter is posted, you won't be seeing me for a while since I'll be writing up Galuna, Phantom, etc. Obviously, I'll post each Arc after I'm done writing them, but there will be a lot more space in between than these past few chapters.**

 **Sorry if Eisenwald felt rushed, it's definitely not one of my favorite arcs and since Team Natsu is considerably more powerful than in canon, I decided to make that shit go by quick.**

 **Also, don't expect to see Gildarts for the next few Arcs like Phantom and Fantasia, I got some cool Natsu moments planned for those so yeah. Also, tell me what you guys thought of badass Wendy being a badass. Also, the Oracion Seis Arc will be skipped, but I still plan to use the characters but I won't tell you now of course hehe.**

 _ **3 days later**_

Natsu decided that he would take this chance to walk around Magnolia for a bit, causing cracks in the ground to appear after every step, he didn't mind though as he usually never got moments of clarity like he was feeling now. The weather was great today so he discarded his cloak but kept his dark red coat, he stopped by the park and sat on a bench, taking in the warm sun and the light cool breeze.

He soon smelt a very familiar scent, it was of strawberries and cake ' _Erza'_ he thought. He turned his head to see the scarlet-haired Knight, she was wearing her white blouse instead of her armor today, this was normal for Natsu but for other people, not so much.

"Hi Natsu," she said quietly, she had an arm behind her back and she refused to meet his eyes with her own. He chuckled "Don't just stand there, come and sit with me Erza,"

She moved over to the bench he was sitting on and took a seat to the right of him, she was shaking slightly, Natsu could see a blush forming on her cheeks. He laughed again "Erza, what are you so worried about? You can talk to me you know, or are you just thinking about those novels you read?"

Erza's face lit on fire from embarrassment but she also decided to speak up "I-I was just thinking of a way to apologize. I should never have doubted your abilities in the first place. Please hit me!" she stammered, obviously his teasing didn't help her one bit.

Natsu smiled warmly, God was this girl cute "I'm not going to hit you Erza, it isn't wrong to care about someone so much that you worry for them. Caring for someone is just another way for you to protect them, know that I will always protect you Erza."

"Oh? And what about me huh?" someone else asked.

They both turned to look at Mira, she was dressed differently today. She wore a long pink dress, she had her silky white hair flow down past her shoulders, her bangs tied above her forehead. Natsu blushed as he looked away from the sight of the beautiful woman, which didn't go unnoticed by the She-Demon.

"Oh, you like my new outfit Natsu?" she asked as she moved to sit down on Natsu's left. The Dragonslayer regained his composure, turning back to Mira "You know I do Mira," he grinned, gaining a giggle and a blush from the She-Demon.

Erza cleared her throat, wanting Natsu's attention all to herself "What is it Mira?" she asked, her question being more of a demand. Natsu knew what was going to happen next as he saw Mira tense up, not wanting the two to start bickering, he intervened "Girls, I know you can't stop fighting each other, but I would appreciate it if you could get along at least for today."

Both Girls looked at Natsu and then at each other, they both nodded and let their heads rest against his shoulders. Natsu smiled warmly, normally they would stay away from each other after being seperated after a fight, but they'd get along just fine when it concerned Natsu. He had soft spots for both girls in his heart, they were more similar than they thought.

It didn't take long for the two to fall asleep, they were purring in their slumber which made Natsu chuckle. He wrapped his arms around them both and kissed their foreheads, he never saw the blushes that went to their faces.

 _ **2 hours later**_

Erza and Mira woke up moaning from their sleep, Natsu lightly tapping them on their shoulders.

They looked up at Natsu and the at each other, their peaceful expressions turning into glares as they looked at one another, it was as if what the Dragonslayer said earlier was completely forgotten.

He laughed "Easy Girls, you both won't die from napping every now and then." he said as he pat their heads with his hands, messing up their hair even further. They both blushed at him treating them like kids, they pouted as he suddenly got up "Alright, let's head back to the guild, I gotta fight with you Erza and I want to get in a bottle before we start."

He grabbed their hands, which both of them promptly blushed to again for the millionth time. "N-N-Natsu what are you doing?" asked Erza as she was being pulled along to the guild, Mira however had no complaints as she sped up to lock her arms with Natsu's. Seeing this, Erza's face hardened ' _I have to maintain my reputation, but she's going to take him away from me!'_

She requiped into her Heart Kreuz armor and caught up to Natsu, locking her arm with his. When they finally arrived at the guild, it was around noon. They had spent their morning napping in the park and they had lots of energy.

Natsu immediately went to sit down at the bar, but Erza and Mira dragged him to the table where Gray and Wendy were sitting at. Grumbling that he wasn't sitting next to the Master, he sat down, almost breaking the bench instantly.

"Aww Natsu why are you so sad? Do I need to cheer you up?" asked Mira said as she sat up on Natsu's lap and shoving his face in between her cleavage. Erza twitched in annoyance as she looked the display, finally slamming her fist down on the table "Get off of him you damn strumpet!"

Before Mira could reply, she suddenly started feeling a bit drowsy. The drowsiness increased until she eventually fell asleep, Natsu caught her and Erza, however the others weren't so lucky. Makarov simply yawned as the rest of the guild dropped where they were, falling asleep.

Natsu met eyes with Makarov, "He's here," they both said in unison. They both looked to the door and saw him, another of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages, Mystogan.

Natsu simply chuckled "That's just classic you Jelly-Man, putting everyone to sleep, man I wish I had a spell like that." Natsu walked up to the bar and poured himself a glass of whiskey, drinks were currently free and he wasn't going to waste this chance.

"I have told you to not use that name around here Natsu." said Mystogan as he went up to the second floor and ripped an S-Class request off of the board, he went back to the first floor and walked up to Makarov "I will be taking this job Master," Makarov nodded in response.

Mystogan walked up to Natsu who was now on his third bottle of whiskey and handed him a letter "Please give this to Wendy," he said before turning around, he stopped at the doors of the guild hall "Natsu, I will ask for your help in the future. Will you lend me your aid?" he asked not even turning.

"Sure thing Misty!" Natsu replied back, hoping to get some form of emotion out of his fellow S-Class Mage.

His prayers were answered when he heard Mystogan chuckle. Makarov raised an eyebrow "Hey, what about your sleeping spell!" Mystogan began walking out of the guild, beginning his countdown.

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

Everyone in the guild woke up, Natsu realized that his exploitation of the bar will be viewed by all very shortly. He silently cursed Makarov and Mystogan.

Still clutching two bottles in his hands, he walked back to the table he was at previously where his team sat. Erza and Mira were both wondering how they ended up lying down together, Natsu chuckled because he deliberately put them down that way. Gray was hold his head, he appeared to be frustrated "What is the nerve on that guy?!"

"Mystogan does not wish to show his face, therefore you must respect his wishes." Makarov said tiredly.

Natsu went up to Wendy while nobody was listening, handing her the letter that Mystogan wanted him to give to her "Not now. Open it later." he whispered. She nodded in response. Natsu looked back to the conversation that was currently happening, hoping for it to be dropped.

"What does he look like Master?" asked Erza.

Makarov didn't even attempt to answer. There was an uneasy silence until another voice cleared the air, "I know what he looks like, but Misty values his privacy. Isn't that right, Natsu?"

' _Great, Laxus is back'_ he thought to himself as he looked up to the second floor to see the man himself. Bright Yellow hair, headphones, purple shirt, tight black pants, brown shoes. He was wearing his black coat wrong, well at least in Natsu's opinion.

' _Who wears their coat like a cape? It just doesn't make sense.'_

"Laxus is back, he's never here." one member stated.

"Let's just hope that he and Natsu don't destroy the guild hall." another said.

Said Mages in question ignored the comments going across the guild as they locked stares.

"I never knew you two were so buddy-buddy that you got him to spill his little secret, you mind telling us how?" asked Laxus sarcastically. Natsu just figured that the Lightning Mage was trying to push his buttons like always, damn shame Gildarts wasn't here, otherwise Laxus would have gone running for the hills.

Everyone turned to Natsu expectantly, hoping to gain some kind of answer about the Masked Mage. Natsu grinned "I'd sooner rot in hell than tell you all what I know about him, it's his secret to keep and not mine to give," he then looked up to the Lightning Mage, "How about you piss off while you can before I kick your ass." he said while he was cracking his knuckles.

Laxus's smirk turned to anger as he stood up from his chair "You better watch what you say brat! When I inherit this guild, you'll be the first one out, you can count on that!" he said before he disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Natsu and Makarov both sighed in relief, the Lightning Mage was a pain in both of their asses. Natsu turned to Erza "We have a fight planned today don't we?" he asked, he was curious to see how much stronger Erza had gotten in the past year. She smiled and nodded, they both stood up and walked out the door. The guild had noticed this and followed behind.

 _ **30 minutes later**_

They walked all the way back to the clearing they had first fought in nine years ago, the place looked as good as new, however with the exception that the clearing was oddly shaped due to the roar.

Makarov stood in between the two, ready to start the fight.

"Natsu, no burning down the forest ok?" Natsu mocked sadness which made Mira giggle and Erza blush.

"READY?!"

Both nodded.

"GO!" he yelled as he dashed away back to the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight.

' _Remember Erza, analyze your opponent first.'_ he looked at Erza and smiled, she hadn't moved an inch since Makarov gave the all clear.

They both studied each other for a few more minutes before Erza finally made the first move, brandishing a sword and rushing at Natsu. As she reached the Dragonslayer with her sword, he casually sidestepped and brought his fist down on Erza's back.

"Knowing when your opponent is going to strike gives you the advantage. I thought you would know that by now." he said as he backed away, giving Erza a chance to recover.

She grit her teeth, but inwardly she was smiling "We would have been standing here all day otherwise." she said as she quickly got up onto her feet.

"REQUIP: BLACK WING ARMOR!"

She dashed to his side now, a lot faster this time now that she was in her Black Wing Armor, she raised her sword to attack.

"MOON FLASH!"

" **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"**

Natsu's fist was coated in white flames as he raised it to counter Erza's attack, he was successful as he sent her flying towards a tree.

"REQUIP: FLAME EMPRESS ARMOR!"

She dashed forward again, making an uppercut slash with her sword she managed to nick the end of Natsu's coat, making him move from his spot.

"I'm impressed Erza, you've certainly have gotten stronger." he said proudly.

"I haven't even gotten started and your already complimenting me?"

"You know that's how I've always been, would you rather I compliment your beauty instead?"

"Stop distracting me and fight!" she yelled, holding back a blush.

Natsu shrugged and was about to close the distance between them when they were interrupted.

"STOP THIS FIGHT AT ONCE!" a low pitched voice yelled.

The two combatants turned to see a tiny frog-like creature approach them, holding some kind of document in its hands. As it stopped in front of Natsu, a group of Rune Knights appeared behind it "Natsu Dragneel, by order of the Magic Council you are under arrest."

Everybody jaw dropped, Erza was the first to speak up "Why is he being arrested?"

"Among countless amounts of property damage, he is being arrested for the destruction of the Conference Hall in Clover." it replied. Mira had now joined in as she had been wanting to know what was going on.

"I'll go," he said calmly. He knew why they were bringing him in, and it wasn't because of what happened at Clover.

"WHAT?!" yelled both Mira and Erza, this was clearly not how they thought their afternoon was going to go down.

"I said I'll go," he said again as he walked up to the Rune Knights. They put anti-magic handcuffs on him, but were shocked to see that they shattered instantly "Oops," he said sarcastically before they took him away.

 _ **Magic Council Headquarters - Fiore Branch**_

Natsu stepped out of the carriage. He took a nice nap on the way over to the Fiore Branch, he knew that the Council had 'arrested' him because it made them look bad if Guild Mages had to do their job for them in order to root out any threats to the Magic World. Natsu just wanted this to be done as fast as possible, there were a few characters on the Council he'd rather not run into.

The Council building stood pompously, they were as bad as Natsu's habit for destruction when it came to carrying themselves. They didn't actually have any real authority like the King did but following the rules was required, even if Natsu did follow them loosely.

Him along with several guards arrived at the entrance however before they stepped inside, Natsu felt a familiar presence behind him. She smelled of berries and lavender, he smiled.

"Ultear do I you to thank for this? I should have known that a naughty girl like you would pull an arrest to get to me,"

Ultear revealed herself as she came out from behind one of the pillars to his side, a pout on her face. She was wearing her classic white kimono and no sandals. "That little nose of yours never ceases to amaze me Natsu, it makes me wonder what else you could smell with it," she said seductively, her voice turning into a purring.

"What else would expect from a Dragonslayer?" he asked incredulously, he didn't think that the blue haired freak would be around to see this anyways.

"Hmm, property damage? The old men need a scapegoat, they'll probably let you go tomorrow," she said as she walked up to him swaying her hips, making the guards uncomfortable from the exchange in front of them.

"Haha, you're sooo funny aren't you," he focused his eyes on the purple haired beauty in front of him as she ran her fingers along his exposed chest. She smirked mischievously as she leaned in closer, standing on her toes just to reach up and whisper into his ear.

"I miss you," she whispered before pulling back and planting her lips onto his, the guards took this as their que to leave. The two Wizards kissed passionately for a few more minutes before they both ran out of breath, Natsu smirked "Had enough? You do know that I have a trial, and I still haven't run into your blue haired buddy yet."

She pouted at his break in the silence "Why do you have ruin the moment my little Dragonslayer?"

"Says the woman who had to stand on her toes just to kiss me," he shot back. He knew that Ultear loved teasing him as much as Mira did, but he always found it fun to tease girls anyways.

She flicked his forehead with her finger, her eyebrows twitched in slight annoyance from his jab and him refusing to answer her question directly "You know that Hades still hasn't forgiven you for your little intrusion," she now had her arms wrapped around the Dragonslayer's neck, forcing him to have this conversation.

Natsu groaned as he felt his member beginning to harden, despite himself not wanting to have this conversation, his Draconic instincts were flowing into his current consciousness. Ultear knew exactly how to prod him, but he wasn't going to back down "Ok so I accidentally stumbled upon and destroyed one of his little keys, so what? Couldn't you just undo it or something with your magic?"

She lightly kicked him in the shin "That requires me to have some remnant of the item itself, I can't produce things out of thin air." He snickered, causing her to pout again. She kissed him again on the lips before pulling away, "You're an ass you know," she said with mock sadness before disappearing.

Natsu looked at where the Time Wizard had once been.

"Women," he muttered, shaking his head as he walked into the giant building.

He was too distracted with Ultear to realize that two certain female wizards watched the whole display, both of them fuming with anger at the Councilwoman and the Dragonslayer.

 _ **Inside**_

Natsu finished walking up the stairs, now heading down a narrow hallway which lead to the room his Trial was going to be taking place.

"You seem to be quite calm this afternoon, with your reputation I thought this building would be a pile of rubble,"

Natsu stopped, he turned around to see the blue haired man he was hoping to avoid.

"Hey Siegrain, or should I say Jellal?" he asked nonchalantly. Before the blue haired man had heard his question he was wearing a smirk, now his face turned to that of shock and then anger.

"How do you know that?" he growled, the Dragonslayer simply laughed.

"I ain't gonna tell you, that's for sure. Now piss off, I have to talk with the geezers." he finished before walking to the door, but what Jellal said next made him stop.

"You won't be able to protect Erza from me,"

Natsu was barely able to keep in his anger, he could feel a grin spread across the blue haired man's face. He decided to leave before he did anything that he would regret, not wanting to be charged for assaulting a member of the Magic Council.

He walked inside seeing that Ultear and Jel-er Siegrain had re-appeared by their stations, the room was dead silent as he walked towards his stand. Ultear was smiling seductively at him with a hand on her hip, while Siegrain had looked like he swallowed a cat. Natsu looked over the rest of them, they looked like they didn't want to be there.

' _Guess I'm not the only one it seems.'_ he thought to himself, he looked at Councilor Yajima and they nodded at each other in greeting. As soon as he got to his stand, the trial began. The frog creature sitting below the council began "Before us is the defendant Natsu Dragneel. I see you've already taken the stand Mr. Dragneel, very well then."

Gran Doma started "Natsu Dragneel, you stand before the council to answer the charges concerning the incident involving the Dark Guild Eisenwald. These charges include extensive damage to Oshibana Station, the collapse of Yuroshiga Gorge Railway Bridge, and the complete and utter destruction of the Clover Meeting Hall. There are countless property damage charges against you, however for this case there were only 11. The witness reports describe the perpetrator as a Pink haired male Wizard, there is on-"

BOOM!

"WHAT IS THIS!" the chairman yelled. The doorway at the other side of the room was blown off. When the dust cleared, it revealed a very angry Mira and Erza, both walked briskly towards the Dragonslayer. He raised an eyebrow as he got a dreadful feeling judging by the looks on their faces.

Natsu turned back to the members of the Magic Council and sighed, "Just give me your largest cell for the night and we'll be out of your hair."

Gran Doma nodded in response, he looked to the guards "Guards, escort these three to a cell. Preferably a large one so the whole Kingdom doesnt have to hear any bickering."

Erza broke her stare on Natsu to glare at Siegrain, who had a look of amusement on face. Ultear seemed to be curious, ' _Why have these two come for Natsu?'_ she twitched her eyebrow with slight jealousy as the two female wizards grabbed Natsu by his arms and walked with the Guards escorted the three to their cell.

 _ **20 minutes later**_

After sitting in silence for the last fifteen minutes, Natsu got bored pretty quick and decided to strike up conversation with the two angry women, which he didn't know as to why.

"You two do know that I would have been let go right after the trial right? It's just a formality to show that they still have power and all," he said, easing the tension in here was not going to be easy.

The two women glared at him, he wondered why he saw betrayal in their eyes.

"Look girls, you're gonna have to help me here. I haven't the faintest idea of how you both are seemingly angry at me," he said calmly, he didn't want to be stuck with two angry women all night long.

They still continued their glare, refusing to answer the Dragonslayer in the slightest.

' _Ok, maybe something else might work then,'_ he thought. An idea came to his head, it was a good one too. He took off his coat and revealed his entire upper body to the two women, smirking while doing so as he saw them both blush and look away, still trying to act angry.

It wasn't Erza or Mira who broke first, but both at the same time.

"WHY DID YOU KISS THAT COUNCILWOMAN!" they both yelled at him, still clearly blushing as they had to look back at him, they tried to avoid looking at his chest.

Natsu smirked, these two must have seen him with Ultear earlier. ' _Can't say I blame them, then again I ain't got no complaints about it either,'_ he thought as he prepared to make his defence to the Knight and the She-Demon.

"Well for starters, she kissed me. All I did was give her the courtesy of returning it. And second, I had no idea that you two were perverts like Gildarts and the Master," the last part of his statement lit their faces on fire from embarrassment, obviously he was getting somewhere.

"Dammit Natsu, why can't I stay mad at you?!" fumed Mira as she walked up to him and sat down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder, Erza however wouldn't budge from her spot. She was going to take a little bit more teasing then.

"How do you know her Natsu?" Erza asked, she appeared to be calming down but was still tense. She was desperately trying to maintain her stance and not give in to the Dragonslayer or his teasing.

' _But the Demon bitch is sitting next to him, she'll take him away from me! No! I have to prove to him that I can take his teasing!'_ she thought in her head, her legs were shaking and he cheeks still had the blush from earlier.

Natsu smiled, he decided to relieve her "How about you sit next me right here," he said as he patted the floor the right of him, on the opposite side of Mira "and I'll tell you both how I know Councilor Milkovich _that_ well." he finished, he thought his offer sounded reasonable at the very least.

Erza appeared to be hesitant at first, but quickly gave way as she requiped out of her armor and into her white blouse. She sat down on the spot he set for her, she laid her head on his right shoulder, mirroring what Mira was doing on his left.

He smiled at the two beauties, but he also silently thanked Gildarts for the lessons he taught him about diffusing a situation with an angry woman, man was he going to be proud of the Dragonslayer when he'd tell him about this.

"Ok then, here is how I met Councilor Milkovich," he began.

*Flashback to 2 years ago*

" _Alright! Natsu, Gildarts! You two be on your best behaviour, I don't want to hear about you two blowing up the dance floor, and especially not the bar! They have some drinks here that we don't have back at the guild, so please don't cock anything up!" exclaimed Makarov as they entered the large building, the trio dressed well for the event they were going to._

 _The event in question was a party for the top guilds of Fiore, except the only members invited were the Guild Masters and their S-Class Mages. Erza and Mira were out on jobs, Mystogan wouldn't show up even if his life depended on it, and there was no way in hell they'd invite Laxus. Somehow, Gildarts and Natsu had shown up just on time from their respective SS-Class requests and were able to make it to the party, mostly for the free drinks though._

 _Of course Gildarts had heard that there would be some lovely ladies as well, Natsu came for the drinks and to watch his father figure woo the women on the dance floor. They both made the occasional crack in the floor as their magic was almost let out, but they otherwise contained it really well._

 _The two mages in question were wearing black tuxedos, Gildarts had a white tie while Natsu's was dark red. The party itself was overseen by the Magic Council, and thus a few members were there along with any of the Wizard Saints that had decided to show up._

 _Makarov was off somewhere talking with Iron Rock Jura of the Lamia Scale guild as well as Gran Doma and Yajima, Natsu and Gildarts were at the bar scoping out the 'talent' around the party._

" _Not as many as I thought there would be," stated Gildarts, he had kind of been let down from what Makarov had told him, but at least the drinks were free._

 _Natsu nodded in agreement "You'd think they'd present themselves better for a social gathering like this, then again I'm not one to judge," he said as he chuckled, Gildarts chuckled with him until he stopped all of the sudden. He hit Natsu lightly and pointed down the bar, Natsu looked at where the Crash Mage was pointing and jaw dropped as he saw one of the most beautiful women in his life._

 _To say that she was drop-dead gorgeous would be an understatement, this woman was a goddess right before their very eyes. Her slender and voluptuous frame was shown as her dark blue dress hugged her body down to her ankles, showing off her curves. Her dark purple hair flowing freely down her back, her bangs tied back in a ribbon._

 _The two mages looked at each other and back at her, Natsu spoke up suddenly._

" _Dibs." he said calmly._

 _The glass that held the drink in Gildart's hand shattered as he broke it just by clenching his hand, a look of anger spread across his face. "C'mon man that ain't fair!" he yelled, he just got outplayed by his student and son. Like they say, the student becomes the master._

" _Relax Gildarts, besides if I mess up then you get to have a go at her." the Dragonslayer assured him, but the Crash Mage was still trying to get over the fact that he just duped by his pupil._

" _Yeah fat chance at that happening," he fumed, he was ticked off at Natsu but he still had full confidence in the Dragonslayer's abilities, especially when it came to seducing women._

" _Excuse me, but if you stop bickering with your friend, you might just get your chance." the woman said, loud enough for them both to hear considering that they were on opposite ends of the bar._

 _Natsu smiled while GIldarts laughed, the chick had been listening in on them, "I guess it's time to meet my maker," he said to the Crash Mage as he walked past him towards the other end of the bar, the woman was waiting for him with a smirk on her face._

" _What's so funny?" he asked her, his classic shit eating grin was there on his face. She turned to face him, a glass of blood red wine in her hands, she chuckled at his question before responding._

" _Nothing, I was just expecting a prepared line was all,"_

" _You think too little of me then,"_

" _We have just met after all, what do you expect of me?"_

" _Well, appearances can be deceiving,"_

 _They smiled at one another, the woman puffed out her chest a little bit to show off her enormous cans. This didn't go unnoticed by Natsu as he looked down and slightly ogled the things in front of him, just looking at them made him go hard._

" _Like what you see?" she asked, she was testing him. He knew this of course, but she didn't know him._

" _Yeah, they look great. But I ain't that easy dear," he said._

 _The two never noticed him, but across the bar Gildarts was silently cheering the Dragonslayer on, goddamn did he love this kid. Makarov walked up to him, they had a silent exchange before Gildarts pointed at Natsu and the woman. Makarov looked and his face paled, he prayed for the boy. Gildarts took this as a sign that the old master knew who she was._

" _Who is she Master?" he asked, he really wanted to know what, or rather who, his boy was getting into._

 _Makarov spoke loud enough for Gildarts to hear normally and as well for Natsu to hear with his Dragon-like hearing, "That's Councilor Ultear Milkovich, we could be in real trouble with the Magic Council if our boy messes up here." he said with a heavy sigh._

" _Have faith in him master, I know I sure do." Gildarts said with a grin._

 _Anyways, back with Natsu and Ultear._

" _Oh, and what makes you think I am?" she asked, a small blush dusting her cheeks. This guy was turning out to be more interesting than she had initially thought._

 _He laughed "Your words," he said while taking a sip of his drink._

 _Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, he was making fun of her. Natsu knew her name since he could hear Makarov say it, but he wanted to ask anyways as a formality, "What's your name?"_

 _She interested now in the man who appeared before her, the fact that he was handsome helped her make her decision too._

" _Ultear, Ultear Milkovich," she said, as they shook hands, she felt his warm touch. It was soothing and comforting, it took her a few moments to realize that she was still hold onto his hand._

 _He chuckled again which caused her to get flustered, she quickly stole her hand away from his, but she could still feel the warmth radiating off of him. "Natsu Dragneel," he said finally, causing Ultear to raise an eyebrow._

" _Ah, you're one of Fairy Tail's Twin Aces aren't you? Then I can only assume that the other one is over there?" she asked as she motioned over to where Gildarts and Makarov were sitting. "Tell me, what does one like you want from one like me?" she asked again._

" _I thought this was a party, not an interrogation, Councilor." he shot back, she was surprised he knew that she was a council member. She didn't regularly put herself out there, never making any social calls, but she decided she needed a little break from Jellal and Hades tonight._

" _I'm just surprised is all, you do have a reputation for destruction," she continued, her smile turning into a seductive smirk. Natsu laughed at her comment "Maybe I do, but I also never pass up a chance to talk to a beautiful woman." he winked, she blushed again much to her confusion._

' _Why is this guy making me feel like a feeble schoolgirl? I've only just met him and he's already making me feel vulnerable,' she thought as she looked away, not wanting him to see her succumb to him._

" _Would you care to dance?" he asked, she looked back at him and smiled. Nodding her head as she stood up from her seat, "I'd love to," she replied as she took his hand and lead him to the dance floor, normally he'd take the lead but she seemed excited so he let her drag him along._

 _Gildarts watched Natsu get dragged to the dance floor by Ultear, he was grinning. This kid was one of the best things that had ever happened to him, he wouldn't think for a second that he made the wrong choice all those years ago. He looked over to Makarov who had his jaw on the floor, the boy had done it._

 _The two danced the night away, Gildarts eventually caught the pair kissing on a balcony overlooking the rest of the party, he smiled. He decided to let pair be for the night, after all they wouldn't be heading back to Fairy Tail until the next day._

*Flashback end*

"Of course I kept contact with her, but I distanced myself after I met her again on one of my jobs." he added.

"Why did you two stop dating?" asked Mira, she was relieved that the Councilwoman wasn't with Natsu but she was curious as to why.

"I wouldn't say that we were dating, we just knew each other very well I guess." he replied before he spoke again, "As to why? Well I found out who she actually works for. She's the leader of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory, she wanted me to join her guild but I declined, I'm not going to throw away my family for some dark guild amateurs."

Erza spoke up now "Why haven't you informed the Council?!"

"Why would they take my word over hers? I know she's part of Grimoire Heart but I don't have any proof to back it up. Her Master is already pissed at me because I messed up his plans on that job I went on."

"I did tell Gramps, he also told me to keep it a secret. We'll wait until we can expose her." Natsu finished, he yawned as he viewed the sun setting over the horizon. "Enough questions girls, lets get some sleep. I'll answer anything you want tomorrow." he said as he nudged both of them. Erza looked hesitant before she laid her head back on his shoulder.

Today was a long day, but what he found out tomorrow would make him sigh.

 _ **Next Day**_

The trio had come back to Magnolia, which had to shift again for Natsu. They made their way to the guild however they saw Master Makarov and Gildarts standing outside, Makarov had a grim expression but Gildarts had a wicked smile. The trio walked up to them when Makarov began "Natsu, I trust your visit went well?"

Natsu nodded "About as well as you'd expect from an evil Time Wizard.", he knew why Ultear was the way she was, her mother supposedly abandoned her to teach Gray and another named Lyon. But Gildarts also told him about Ur, she was nothing like her daughter's description of her, and he trusted Gildarts a lot more than Ultear.

"Well now that we have that out of the way, I would like to bring another matter to your attention," he began, his face hardening at what he was about to say "That idiot Gray took an S-Class request last night, he somehow convinced Happy and Wendy to go, along with the new girl, Lucy."

Natsu sweatdropped, Mira chuckled, and Erza's face was expressionless. Natsu figured out what Makarov was going to ask him, "So what, you want me to bring them back?" he asked.

Makarov nodded "Take Mira and Erza with you, I have no clue as to how dangerous this job is for them, get them back here for proper punishment!" he worried for his children and them being the idiots they were, took an S-Class job even though they weren't qualified.

Natsu nodded and sighed "Which request was it Gramps?" he asked, he wasn't going to get very far without any information.

"It was the Galuna Island Job."

Natsu whistled, earning a like punch from Erza "Idiot! We have to get to the Island before any of them get hurt!" she exclaimed, she was going to punish those four herself.

"Relax Erza, or do I need to remove my clothes again for you?" he smirked, obviously wanting to get back at her for the punch. She blushed and looked down at the ground, muttering so low that even the Dragonslayer couldn't hear what she was saying.

He turned back to look at Makarov and Gildarts whose eyes were wide open, Erza hadn't punished Natsu for removing his clothes but she would beat up Gray all the time for it.

"Please do," Mira purred as she clung to Natsu's arm, this made the Crash Mage and the Master of their Guild twitch their eyebrows in annoyance.

"Anyways Gramps, we'll be back in a few days then along with those four." he said deciding that this was a good time to leave, he didn't want to make Makarov anymore jealous than he already was.

The three of them walked back down the road, Natsu was grumbling that he didn't get to have a single drink before he got sent to go rescue the three idiots (He excluded Wendy because reasons) from a life or death situation, Mira was giggling and so was Erza, while Erza had still retained the blush from earlier.


	7. Story Update 1

Story Update #1

Hey I'm back and I bring good news and some bad news depending on how you look at it (It isn't something about how I'm suddenly so busy that I can't write the story anymore, it's about the main pairing).

So let's get started with that first.

Lately, I've begun to realize the pit that I've dug myself into concerning the main pairing (NaMiZaUl), believe me when I say that I actually like this harem that you guys have helped me make. However, during the last few days, I've been struggling to find out exactly what I want the main pairing to be, and I've found that I want that pairing to strictly be NatsuxErza.

Now before you call me out on my shit for offering up the harem idea earlier on, your right, this situation is completely my fault but I won't back down from what I want to write, I appreciate criticism, not flames (even if they are tasty).

I might be chickening out, sure, but it's not because I don't think I can pull it off. I simply don't want to half-ass it, here's why.

I'm under the impression that I write the girls better individually, and I'm currently having trouble thinking of how those three girls are going to react and bounce off of each other in interactions and conversation in the future. There's also an issue I found with having these three in total, I haven't provided Mira with the same treatment as I have Erza, hell Ultear hasn't gotten the same amount of attention as Erza.

Now you guys might be thinking; Why not give them said attention? Well it's not that I don't want to, but I don't have the same drive to write for those two than I have for Erza, she's my favorite pairing with Natsu, which I'm pretty sure I've made very obvious.

Don't get the idea that I'm abandoning this harem idea though, I'm definitely keeping it in my back pocket for another story, it just won't be utilized for this story. (I sincerely apologize to NatsuxUltear fans, I have misled you all and I am dearly sorry. I do plan to write a NatsuxUltear story after this one so don't worry my friends.)

I find it easier writing as a whole if I do this, once again, it is my fault that I am in this situation but I am going to make do with it.

Alright on to the next piece:

I will be doing a QA for this story and possibly my own opinions on Fairy Tail if you guys would like, so send me your questions and I'll gladly post my answers on another chapter (Probably after Galuna or Phantom depending on how many questions I get).Final piece

Galuna Arc is almost done, I got 6 Chapters lined up. Just need to do some fights and dialogue and voila, on to Phantom.  
Once again I am sorry for the misleading harem, I still plan to do that in another story, but not this one. I just believe that I will have an easier time with one love interest than three, while also keeping the story and plot changes in mind.

Your favorite bullshit artist, Stormcrown9


	8. Galuna Island (1)

**I don't own Fairy Tail because if I did, then Natsu and Erza would be the main pairing (cause it makes sense).**

 **Anycase, if you are reading this then know that it just takes a while to write this stuff in school (not that I spend my entire school day writing), it's obviously faster on weekends and then there's the thing where I said I'd release the Arcs together so I gotta finish writing them, check them, then upload. Yadda yadda point is is that things are gonna be slower than they were with the other chapters.**

 **Alright, so I decided to release the first five chapters of Galuna Island as an early Christmas present for you all. I am currently finishing up the sixth, and I've also got a Christmas Chapter in mind, it's gonna take place before Phantom and there will be lots of NaZa to go around (Favorite Pairing hell yeah!).**

 **Here we are with Galuna Island.**

 _ **With Gray's Group in Hargeon**_

"I don't know about this guys," said Wendy.

The four of them had set out exactly after Happy had snatched the Galuna Island request, however half of the group had voiced their doubts about the whole thing entirely, namely Lucy and Wendy. Lucy was scared because she had broken the rules as well by coming along with Gray, but Wendy was more terrified of what would happen when Erza found out.

Gray and Happy were more than excited, even though it was odd for him to be helping Gray, Happy was easily convinced through the power of fish.

Gray turned to Wendy "Oh come on Wendy, what's the worst that could happen?"

"WE COULD DIE!" yelled Lucy, Wendy nodded her head in agreement "We aren't ready for this Gray, maybe we should go back and get help from Nat-"

"NO! We don't need help from that stupid fire punk! We can do this by ourselves!" he snapped.

They walked in silence until they reached the docks, looking for a boat to take them to the Cursed Island. Surprisingly, no one would take them to the Island, generally out of fear for themselves because the place was, well it was cursed after all.

"Wendy can't you carry us over to the Island on wind or something?" Lucy asked.

Wendy sweatdropped "That's not how my magic works Lucy."

"Wait a minute, are you three Wizards? Have you come to lift the curse on the Island?" one man asked, the four of them (Happy is there too) turned to face him and nodded their heads. The man was wearing a bandana around his head, and he had a long cloak covering his arms.

"Get in," he said.

The four of them looked at each other, then promptly got into the boat and headed off towards their destination.

 _ **Later that day**_

"Ok now I'm scared!" said Lucy. They'd been rowing to the Island for a few hours now, but the fact that she was still going along with this still scared her shitless. Wendy and Gray sweatdropped at the Celestial Mage freaking out, while Happy was too busy devouring a fish.

"Calm down blondie, we ain't got nothing to worry about." Gray huffed. He was really beginning to regret bringing this blonde chick with them, she wouldn't stop going on about how much trouble they were in. Wendy was indifferent towards towards the Spirit Mage, but even she was also worried about their situation, though she was maintaining a calm appearance.

Gray looked to the sailor at the bow, he was looking at the Island as it came into view. "Hey do you know what's going on with the curse?" the Ice Wizard asked, he needed to know the job specifics after all.

The man turned around to look at them, gaining their attention as he hadn't interacted with them since they had set out, "I'm a native of this Island, the curse itself seems to be coming from the Moon. Behold!" he said as he revealed his arm. It looked demonic in appearance, hard purple, jagged edges "My people and I are cursed to have the forms of demons,"

The Fairy Tail Wizards looked shocked as they stared at the sight of the sailors arm, "Whoa your arm! What happened to it?" asked Gray. The man ignored Gray and looked back to the Island, "We're almost there. That's Galuna Island." he said as he pointed to the Island, they could see the mountaintop glowing in the distance.

Lucy turned to ask the sailor another question about the curse but saw no one standing in his place "What the-Where'd he go!" she popped up panicking.

"Did he fall over?" Gray was now surprised too at the sudden disappearance of the cursed man, saying that it was strange would be an understatement.

"Uh guys," Wendy spoke up.

Lucy and Gray were still trying to figure out how the sailor suddenly upped and left, Happy was chewing on a fish, and Wendy was freaking out at the huge tidal wave that was heading towards their boat.

"How did he get off the boat?" asked Gray.

"Was he really here? Maybe he was a ghost?" Lucy thought out loud.

"Guys what about th-" Wendy was sweating at the sight, however her antics went unnoticed by the rest of her group as she flailed her arms about. She was cut off as Gray and Lucy continued their theorizing.

"That's idiotic, why would a ghost sail us all the way out here?" Gray countered.

"I don't know! No need to be rude you know!" stammered Lucy.

"GUYS!" yelled Wendy, causing the rest of the group to turn back to her except for Happy who was still munching on his fish with his carefree attitude. "What is it Wen-" Gray was about to finish his question when he saw what Wendy had been pointing at earlier, making his eyes widen as he saw the approaching wave.

The four of them could only scream as the wave crashed into their boat, sending them overboard into the water. Leaving no trace of them or their boat behind.

 _ **The next day**_

Lucy opened her eyes to see the sun glaring down at her, making her squint and take in her environment as she looked around the beach that they had seemed to have landed on. Gray appeared to be completely unconscious, Wendy was awake but she looked to be extremely tired as she probably woke up the same time as Lucy, and Happy had his head in the sand. He was clearly conscious as he was trying to wiggle out of his current position, Wendy saw this and giggled.

"What was that?" Lucy asked herself, the wave that had hit them the night before had come out of nowhere. Was it part of the curse? Where were they anyways?

Wendy answered her question, seeming to have read the Celestial Spirit Wizard's mind "We must be on the Island." she stated, the young Dragonslayer looked around before standing up and helping Happy out of his current position. Gray also seemed to have gained consciousness by now.

"FREEDOM!" exclaimed Happy as he was pulled out of the sand by Wendy, he began flying around in the air until he eventually landed on her head and lay down on her dark blue locks.

"Well, there goes our way of getting back." figured Gray as he was standing up, they had the job to complete as well as find another mode of transportation to get back to the guild. Little did they know that three other Wizards would be finding their way to the Island as well, two of them being angry and the other wondering how Gray's group would be coming out of this situation alive.

The Ice Make Wizard turned to the rest of his group "We might as well get started with the job then. Let's find whoever sent the request." he turned and walked into the woods, the others following behind.

 _ **With Natsu's group**_

The three S-Class Wizards were chatting amongst themselves on a pirate ship heading for Galuna Island, Erza had 'convinced' the ship's captain to take them there. Breaking the guild rules is serious, and when she gets her hands on those four she'll make them wish that they would get one of her usual beatings.

Natsu, despite having trained to get rid of his motion sickness had been hesitant to get on the ship in the first place. Luckily, Mira cooed him on much to Erza's dismay, it seemed they were still battling for the Dragonslayer who had wormed his way into their hearts.

Even though he wasn't liking the trip itself, he was still amused that the Ice Pop had stolen an S-Class request from the second floor. Something that he still found amusing even though Erza had given him a glare for chuckling about it, but he kept flashing her his trademark grin and made her blush. Mira was angry because she was wondering how they got Wendy to go along with them. The small Dragonslayer always stayed bound to the rules of the guild and it was odd that she went with Gray and Lucy.

"Erza, just go easy on Wendy at least, ok?" Natsu spoke up as he saw Erza pace back and forth on the deck, mumbling about how she was going to punish the four rulebreakers. Erza looked at Natsu and stopped "I'm sorry Natsu but I can't show favoritism when it comes to punishing rulebreakers." she wanted to agree with the Dragon Prince, but she has a reputation to keep.

Natsu smirked at this reply as he stood up and walked slowly over to the Knight, making her legs wobble as she looked at his exposed chest "C'mon Erza, Wendy's just a little girl I'm sure she wouldn't have broken the rules on purpose. You don't want to make me upset now do you Erza?" he said as he widened his eyes like a sad puppy, making the Requip Knight blush as she looked at the sight before her. It was too much for her to handle. Damn him and his good looks!

Erza nodded her head in agreement and looked away, her face practically burning as her thoughts went down the gutter and back to her smut novels. Natsu pat her on the head and laughed, he then turned back to Mira who giggled at the Knight's expense.

"What about me Natsu? Do I get a special punishment?" the She-Demon teased, it seemed to be that time of day again for her.

Natsu shook his head "Depends on the next issue of Sorcerer Weekly," he teased back, he decided that he was going to fight fire with fire, maybe even literally. "And maybe even then, who knows? Erza might be into that kind of stuff." he smiled evilly as he looked back to Erza who somehow made her blush from before even more red than it already was, steam coming out of her ears as she heard his statement.

Mira pouted and blushed, the concept of Fairy Tail's Titania being a closet pervert had come across her mind before but Erza had never made it so obvious. She knew that the Knight reads smut novels but aside from that and her also obvious attraction to Natsu, she kept those novels a secret from most of everyone in the guild.

Natsu then continued teasing the Knight with the same smile "I've still yet to figure you out Erza, what makes you tick?" he wondered out loud. The Knight broke out a new shade of red when her thoughts came to her, ' _It's you, you handsome idiot…'_ she thought as she sat down next to Mira, not noticing that the She-Demon was there as she was fanning her face.

The rest of the ride consisted of them being teased by Natsu, Erza briefly forgot about the punishment she was going to inflict on Gray's group and Mira forgot about why they were even there in the first place. Natsu seemed to make light of any situation, the two girls could agree on that certainly.

They were a day or two behind Gray and the others, it wasn't a while before they reached their destination and Natsu picked up a familiar but surprising scent.

 _ **Back with Gray's group**_

"Uh hello? Is anyone there?" yelled Lucy.

The four of them were placed outside of the village before them, they couldn't see anyone manning the walls that went around the village, but there had to be someone who had sent out the request.

"Who goes there!" they heard, the Wizard's looked up to the top of the gate and saw three figures standing in the wall ramparts.

Gray spoke up this time "We're Wizards from Fairy Tail, we're here to lift the curse on the Island!"

"Oh yeah? Let us see your guild marks!" another replied.

The Fairy Tail Wizards promptly showed off their guild marks. Gray lifting up his shirt, Lucy holding up her hand, Wendy showing off her left shoulder, and Happy munching on a fish on top of Wendy's head. "They're the real deal! Open the gate!" one of the figures yelled, the gate opened soon after.

The four Wizards stepped inside the small village, the people inside were gathered in a small crowd in the center of the village. They wore tan cloaks that revealed their forms from head to toe, which slightly unnerved the four Wizards as they approached.

"Greetings, you must be the Wizards from Fairy Tail. I hope you have come to accept our request," said a tiny man in front of the small crowd of villagers. His voice was muffled through the mask he was wearing but was also loud enough to hear.

"We've come to lift the curse on this Island," Gray took the lead seeing as he dragged them out there in the first place, making Wendy and Lucy relax for the meanwhile. The tiny man who seemed to be the village chief removed his cloak, making the rest of the villagers also do so in kind.

Lucy gasped. As they removed their cloaks, they revealed various demonic looking body parts. They looked very much like the man who had sailed them to the Island, he was right, these people had in fact been cursed.

"Do you know what caused this to happen?" Wendy winced, she'd never seen anything like this before. It was scary but not as scary as Erza.

The elder nodded "We believe that the curse has something to do with the Moon." he stated stoically before continuing, "This Island has always had a special connection to the Moon itself due to how it sails over the Island during the night. However, during these past few years, the Moon has taken a new glow and has cursed us to appear like this." he finished as he pointed out their disfigurements.

One of the villagers spoke up suddenly, "The Moon! It's coming out!".

The Moon separated from the clouds, it took on an unusual purple glow instead of it's midnight blue. It shined down upon the villagers and they screamed, clutching their heads in pain as they completed their transformations, turning into full on demons.

"W-Wow…", began Wendy.

"Yeah…", added Gray.

"Scary…", said Lucy.

"SO COOL!", finished Happy.

Everyone turned to him with questioning looks on their faces, he looked at them confused. "What?" he asked stupendously.

Everyone sweatdropped at the blue cat's comment, even the villagers.

"Alright," began Lucy nervously, "So what do you want us to do?"

"The Moon must be destroyed!" replied the elder swiftly, the villagers nodded in agreement. At the village elder's declaration, the four sweatdropped, even Happy who stopped munching on his fish to hear the stunning revelation.

"How would we go about it though?" asked Lucy, "You do realize that we can't even reach the Moon right?" she deadpanned.

"How else will we be free of this curse?!" the elder pleaded as he fell to his knees clutching a photo in his hand, "I've had to end my own son's suffering because of this damned curse! I don't want anyone else to lose their lives!" he was tearing up now. The Wizards saw the picture he was holding and collectively gasped.

"That's the guy who took us he-" Lucy started but was cut off by Gray who had his hand over her mouth. "Don't bring it up, it'll just make it worse." he said looking to her before moving towards the elder.

"We'll start tomorrow, my associates and I are currently spent for today. Would you mind sparing any lodgings for us? If not then it's fi-" he was tackled by the village elder in a hug as he was about to finish, the old man seemed happy that someone had finally come to their aid. "Thank you sir!" he yelled as he crushed the Ice Wizard in his embrace.

"Ca- can't bre-breath!" Gray tried to reach out to Lucy and Wendy with no success, both of them giggling at Gray's predicament.

 _ **Later**_

The four Wizards had taken up one of the vacant huts in the village as shelter, even though they were supposed to be resting for the night, Gray was excited for the next day to come, it was his first S-Class job! Even if it was unofficial and he broke the rules, he was gonna catch up to flamebrain, that's for sure.

While he was thinking, Lucy and Wendy were chatting away about girl stuff (ughhh) and Happy had somehow found another fish which he was eating while sitting on Wendy's head, it seemed to be his new favorite spot since he didn't have Natsu there.

"I wonder if the glow on top of the mountain had anything to do with the curse on the villagers?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"I heard faint voices coming from the mountaintop before we got hit by that wave, sorry guys." Wendy looked crestfallen now that she had been unable to figure out what was going on, making her tear up and her comrades freak out flailing their arms. Happy even offered her his half-eaten fish to cheer her up.

When all was calm, Gray spoke up "Well whatever it is, we'll figure it out tomorrow. Let's try to get some sleep for now."

"You're the only one who hasn't started!" Lucy yelled, the journey from the day before starting to get to her.

"Calm down, sheesh…" he muttered back. He lay back onto his bed roll and shut his eyes, the thoughts going through his head before he fell asleep made him smirk.

' _I'm gonna beat you Natsu, and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it,'_


	9. Galuna Island (2)

**Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail, not me. I just write stuff with his characters.**

 _ **With Natsu's group**_

The sun sat on the horizon, signaling a new day. It had been three days since Natsu last had a drink, and he was being quite grumpy about it. Mira's giggling didn't help either. Whenever he glared at her for making fun of him, she'd give him a seductive wink instead, making him sigh in response and promptly resetting the cycle.

Erza would give a few chuckles too, except when Natsu caught her she would request for him to hit her, not realizing what she was implying. "I guess I should expect that you're into that kind of stuff already Erza," he said nonchalantly, making Erza's face glow a new shade of red.

That then sent Mira tumbling onto the deck holding her stomach, laughing so hard that Erza got angry and began fighting with her. Natsu shook his head and sweatdropped, he'd probably die before these two would ever stop fighting.

"Girls?" he asked calmly, both of them stopped fighting, their fists just inches away from their faces. He continued "I'm going to go on ahead, I'll meet you two at the Island, hopefully I'll have that Ice freak with me before you get there." he finished as he jumped overboard and sped away, his feet acting as rockets.

Both women pouted as they ran up to the side of the deck that the Dragonslayer had jumped off of, slamming the railing with closed fists as they now realized that they were stuck together. They wouldn't be arriving until later that day.

 _ **With Gray's group**_

Upon waking up in the morning, Lucy groaned as she was unable to sleep much due to Gray's snoring, however it had been much worse for Wendy because of her dragon-like hearing. The four had set off into the forest that covered the Island just about an hour after they woke up, Lucy made a note to the group about the strange glow coming from the mountain top earlier as well.

"Do you think that strange glow has something to do with it?" asked Lucy, their investigation had just begun and questions were a good place to start.

"That was at the mountaintop right? Maybe we should start there!" Wendy replied excitedly.

"I bet I'll be able to freeze that stupid curse." added Gray.

BAM

"You know, you really are an idiot aren't you?" Lucy sweatdropped, Wendy sighed as well.

BAM

BAM

BAM

BAM

"Hmmm?" Gray hummed as he turned around, gaining Wendy's attention too. "What's that?" she said before her eyes went wide, she looked at Gray and he seemed to have the same expression.

"What the hell! It's huge!" exclaimed Gray as he stared dumbfounded at the giant rat creature standing before them. "Oh my god! What the hell is that!" Lucy screamed, causing Gray to snap out of his stupor and assume his stance.

"ICE MAKE: SHIELD!"

A wall of Ice shot up from the ground where Gray placed his hands, blocking the green-greyish stream that came from the rat's mouth, however not blocking the overpowering scent that came with it.

Wendy took a sniff and almost fell over "IT STINKS!", she then accidentally let out a roar in the direction of the rat, sending it toppling on to the ground. Gray and Lucy covered their noses too while Happy flew above the entire scene.

"LET'S GO!" they took off in no general direction, simply trying to get away from the giant rat that was bounding after them. It was cackling all the while it let loose even more breath attacks.

They eventually made good distance away from the creature, giving Gray time to cast another spell.

"ICE MAKE: FLOOR!"

The rat instantly slipped on the floor, knocking it unconscious. "Why didn't you just do that earlier?" Happy asked, making a tick mark appear on Gray's forehead. "Shut up Happy!" he yelled at the blue cat.

"Guy's look!" Lucy pointed towards a large structure that wasn't too far away from them, "Let's go hide out in that building, there might be more of these things roaming about."

Wendy nodded in approval, Gray however kept beating on the unconscious rat's head. This caused both female Wizards to sweatdrop as Gray kept yelling "We should take this chance to keep this thing down!", eventually the two got him to calm down and go to the building.

 _ **The Temple of the Moon**_

"This place is massive!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah it's falling apart, I can hear the ground crack slightly with every step." added Wendy.

"How old is this place?" asked Gray.

Our heroes have been roaming around the entrance of the Temple for a few minutes now, the walls decorated with red symbols that represented the various shapes that the Moon would often take during the night. "What're those?" asked Lucy as she looked curiously at the symbols on the wall.

Gray walked up to where Lucy was standing "They're Moons, it makes sense. Galuna used to be called the Island of the Moon." he answered expressionlessly.

"Maybe it's all connected?" Wendy theorized. Everything points to the moon being involved somehow; The Island, the curse, the temple, etc. ' _What is going on here?'_ the Dragonslayer thought to herself as she kept glancing at the symbols.

"The floor feels like it's going to shatter almost instantly," the Ice Wizard was stomping on the floor right next to them. Lucy and Wendy turned around with panicked expressions, Wendy's more serious though.

"Well don't just go stomping on it!" a tick mark formed on the Celestial Spirit Wizard's head.

"Gray the ground isn't very stable! Sto-" Wendy couldn't finish as the ground beneath them shattered like as spell that was casted by Natsu, sending the four of them down into a dark pit. "GRAY YOU IDIOT!" Lucy screamed as they fell downwards.

 _ **Temple of the Moon - Lower levels**_

"Is everybody ok?" Wendy croaked out from some rocks, promptly moving them off of her with her magic. Lucy and Gray didn't look any better either, and Happy was the only one of them who appeared to be unaffected.

"I'd be better if Ice pick here hadn't knocked out the floor!" Lucy pointed at Gray, who scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Hehe, oops." Gray responded quietly.

Lucy looked to Happy "So can you fly us out of here?", the blue cat shook his head in response. "No, sorry." he said defeated, although not that he had wanted to anyways. He thought Lucy was too fat for him to carry.

"We're underneath the temple then." said Gray as they all looked back up from where they had 'entered' from, a grin now appearing on his face as they now found a secret cave. "Let's go this way guys!" he said flailing his arms as he ran down a passage, the two girls and cat right behind him.

He came to a dead stop at the sight before him though, a sight that reminded him of many memories of pain and misery that still haunted him to this day. Before him stood a demon encased in a thick shell of ice in a large cavern, a pool that probably was connected to the ocean above at its feet.

Before him stood Deliora, one of the many Demons of the Black Wizard Zeref.

 _ **With Natsu**_

"Should I surprise them? Or maybe just walk up to them? Wendy might catch my scent and warn them, ah screw it! Let's have some fun!"

Natsu had been talking to himself for the past ten minutes since he had arrived on the Island. He knew that Erza and Mira would object to him arriving earlier than them, but he needed a drink, so this was the fastest way of going about it.

The other reason was that he picked up a scent coming from the Island, that he had somehow recognized even as far away as he was from it at the time.

Ever since his and Ultear's little scene in front of Titania and the She-Demon, he decided that he would attempt to make any situation between those two and the Time Wizard not happen at all.

So when our Dragon Slayer picked up her scent coming from Galuna Island, he freaked out internally and jumped overboard. He didn't want to leave the girls behind, but he also didn't want to get caught in a cat fight.

Watch it? Yes! Be in the middle of it? Hell no!

Knowing that Erza and Mira would arrive in a few hours, he figured he had enough time to get Ultear to leave.

He sighed in frustration, Ultear would attempt to seduce him again, not he wasn't attracted to her at all. He simply couldn't forgive her, she still held on to her past, a silly dream that would never come to fruition. He gave her a chance at happiness, but she pushed him away all the same.

He could still remember the day they ended what they had, Ultear had probably taken it worse than he had. He didn't like the fact that he had made her cry, but what she was doing was wrong, and she made it clear that she would never truly love him until she was satisfied with the suffering of others.

*Flashback 1 year ago*

" _Natsu, wait!"_

 _Natsu was walking briskly out of the Inn they 'were' staying at, Natsu appeared to have an irritated look on his face. Ultear looked to be running after him, her face contorted to that of worry._

 _Anger swelled up in the Dragonslayer as he continued his pace, she knew why he was angry, but why was she trying to stop him._

" _Why should I?" he growled out, he was trying to make it clear that he wasn't in the mood but she just wouldn't give up._

" _Because I love you!", causing him to screech to a halt. Allowing Ultear wrap her arms around him in relief. Natsu paid her no mind as he continued to look forward._

 _Ultear frowned in the hug that she had given, his warmth was gone, nothing but the bitter cold in its place. She pulled away, "Natsu?" she asked worriedly._

" _I can't support you Ultear, it goes against who I am." he put bluntly, "This infatuation with revenge on your mother, and the innocent lives that you and your buddies have taken. I cannot find the words inside of me to describe how disappointed I am in you." her eyes began to tear up at his words, her legs shook so much that she fell to her knees._

" _Please Natsu! Please, I can't lose you too!" she stammered out through her crying, making him shed a few tears of his own at the sight._

" _Gildarts told me that love would feel like shit, I was a fool to never believe him in the first place." he stated calmly before turning to face her, "If you can shamelessly take the lives of innocent children, you can bear to lose me. It's apparent that I was nothing to you to begin with."_

 _Her crying increased, why couldn't he see that she loved him? Did she not convey that to him during the many nights they spent together? Nobody else in the world could make her feel loved and wanted like he could, yet here he was, questioning her feelings for him._

 _She knew why he was angry, and she couldn't blame him. She was second-in-command of the most powerful dark guild in the Balam Alliance; Grimoire Heart. She had taken innocent lives, either cast them away or molded them into tools for her own goals._

" _I'm sorry Natsu," she muttered out, causing the Dragonslayer to squat down to her level. "I can't give up on the dream I've been working my whole life towards."_

" _Ultear, forget this whole thing with the time travel. Live now! Come join Fairy Tail, you don't have to be alone in this world anymore." he smiled kindly and extended his hand, even though he was disappointed in her, Fairy Tail was more than willing to give second chances to any of its members._

 _She shot to her feet instantly at the sound of his offer, but not in the way he would have liked. She wore a hate filled glare on her face "Join Fairy Tail? I'll never join that pathetic lot even of you are the only exception! I suppose you wanted me to be friends with_ _ **him**_ _too huh?" she practically spat out at him as he rose up to meet her._

 _It was silent between them for a few moments before Ultear realized what she said to him in her outburst, but it was too late. Natsu had broken off and was walking away with a sad but resolved look on his face, "I wish you the best of luck then. Goodbye Ultear."_

 _She fell to her knees again and tried to reach out to his retreating figure "Natsu wait, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean…" she said as her eyes watered again, the Dragonslayer ignored her this time, leaving her feeling cold and alone._

' _Why do the people I love always leave me?' the thought rang through her head as she sat there on the cold ground, the wind blowing her hair in front of her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks._

 _Further away, as he was walking, Natsu was also crying. Still walking down the dark main path to Magnolia, "I'm sorry." he muttered before disappearing into shadows._

*Flashback end*

His face hardened at the memory ' _I guess it just wasn't supposed to work out.'_ he thought as he trekked through the dense forest, eventually discovering the village that the request had come from. ' _I oughta start here then,'_ he walked up to the gate and knocked.

"Who goes there!" a voice from above called out.

Natsu looked up and saw two villagers on the wall, he scratched the back of his head "Hey, I'm an S-Class Wizard from Fairy Tail, I was hoping to know if you guys had seen any other Fairy Tail Wizards running around?" he asked politely, he could always track them with his nose, but information from the locals didn't hurt either.

"A cat, two girls, and a boy?" the man on the wall asked.

"Yep, those are them."

"Aye, they went towards the mountain I believe."

Natsu nodded his head and thanked them for the information, heading off in the direction of the troublemakers. ' _Gray, you've gotten yourself into some deep shit this time. At least I get to watch whatever happens though.'_ he thought as he cracked his neck.


	10. Galuna Island (3)

**I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 _ **With Gray and the others**_

To say that he was petrified would be an understatement. He was frozen, exactly like his magic, at the sight of the demon that haunted his dreams. The demon who took his parents, the demon who his master had to sacrifice her life to seal away.

' _Wasn't this thing locked up in Isvan? Deep in the mountains where Ur lived? How the hell did it get here?!'_ he was absolutely terrified.

"That's impossible! Why the hell is it here!" he screamed.

"Wait you've seen this thing before?" Wendy asked.

"It's Deliora, the demon of destruction. But what the hell is it doing here?"

Lucy was about to jump into the conversation, but Wendy quickly perked up "Everybody hide!" she whispered as she ran behind a thick cluster of rocks. The others following her as they saw two figures enter the cavern.

"The voices seem to be coming from down here." the blue haired one said while his partner growled. "I hate being awake at this time of the day." he said again trying to strike up conversation, his partner growled again though.

"So Toby, were you exposed to the Moon Drip? You've got those pointy ears after all." he said with a wide grin, pissing off his friend in the process.

"I already told you that it's just a fashion statement you jerk!" Toby yelled, not influencing his friend in the slightest.

"Relax, I was just teasing you."

"You don't have to be a prick about it…"

' _The Moon Drip, is that what the curse is called?'_ she would have pondered on the subject further, but her thoughts were interrupted as another joined in on the conversation.

"Yuka, Toby. Something terrible has happened." a woman pitched in from the entrance that Toby and Yuka had come from.

"What now Sherry?" Yuka asked irritated.

"It's Angelica. She's been attacked and now I'm sad." ironically enough, she said that expressionlessly.

"You're sad because somebody beat up your stupid pet rat?!" yelled Toby.

"She's not a rat, she is love! A beautiful hunter who guards us in the forests below!"

Lucy sweatdropped, these people were as crazy as the people back at Fairy Tail.

"Intruder's huh?" asked Yuka, his irritation going away and his curiosity growing.

"It's almost time to be collecting Moonlight. It would displease the Cold Emperor if we did not deal with them before the ceremony, since they've seen Deliora, we must grant them eternal rest." she said as she clutched her hands to her heart, "We must grant them, Love."

"Uhh, you mean death right?"

Happy threw a rock towards the passage that they had fallen through, tricking the three undesirables into thinking that someone might be down there. After they left, the Fairy Tail Wizards retreated from their hiding spot.

"Nice trick Happy." Lucy sighed in relief.

"Aye, always gets them!"

Gray and Wendy went back to the ice-encased demon to investigate.

"Why is it encased in Ice?" asked the young Dragonslayer.

Gray's expression turned to a pained one, but he answered anyways "My master Ur sealed this demon using a spell called Iced-Shell. Even the most powerful fire spells wouldn't be able to affect this ice."

Wendy deadpanned "Is this your way of saying that Natsu's magic sucks? Cause he'd probably be able to melt this thing." she said before her face turned pale after sniffing the area around her.

A tick mark formed on Gray's head "Yeah fat chance at that happening! Besides, ash-for-breath isn't even here!"

"And let you take all the glory from lifting this curse? You know I'm not one for sitting on the sidelines Gray." a familiar voice called out from behind them.

They all froze as they heard his voice, Wendy was the first to recover as she recognized his scent "N-N-Natsu, please don't punish us!" she stammered.

Natsu laughed "Don't worry Wendy, that's Erza's job. And boy, guys is she pissed." he said calmly while cleaning his fingernails while leaning back on a rock, ignoring the paled faces of his comrades completely. He then looked at the encased demon and whistled "Sweet demon you got there Gray, mind introducing us?"

Gray was still frozen, his 'rival' had tracked them down "Natsu, why are you here?" he asked. The shock of the Fire Dragon Prince being there took hold over the obvious fact that he'd had come there to collect them.

"Well Gramps sent me to bring you guys back, but then as an extra he also sent Mira and Erza with me. In reality, I'm just here to watch the fireworks." he then looked to Happy and chuckled, "You ain't getting fish for a week."

As Happy cried comical tears, Natsu pointed to Lucy and Gray "You two are probably gonna get your asses kicked by Erza for stealing an S-Class request. I'll probably also give you two an ass kicking myself for taking Wendy along with you."

He then looked to Wendy finally, she was expecting her punishment to be the most severe because he was gonna call her out last. "You're fine. Big bad Titania won't get you."

The biggest wave of relief passed over Wendy in the form of a faint, luckily for her, Natsu was actually fast enough to close the gap towards the group. Lucy and Gray were still frozen, and Happy was still crying about not getting fish for a week.

"Why doesn't she get punished?!" Gray yelled.

"I got Erza to lay off of her when she gets here, obviously."

"Ain't that favoritism though?! What the hell man!"

"Congrats, you know what favoritism means." Natsu deadpanned.

Before Gray could attempt to strike Natsu, Lucy recovered "Wait, so where are Mira and Erza?".

He looked at Lucy with a grin plastered on his face, "They're a good few hours away from the Island. I wouldn't worry about them just yet though." he then looked to Gray, "You mind telling me what's up with big horns over there?" he asked curtly as he pointed to Deliora.

The Ice Make Wizard got over his surprise that his 'rival' had tracked them down so fast, at the mention of Deliora "It's the demon of destruction, Deliora."

His face then turned to one of anger "And I'll be damned if you even try to touch that ice with your flames!", his hands summoning his magical energy. Natsu smirked at Gray's accusation, he then gently put Wendy down and stood up to meet Gray.

"Now before you do anything too rash, please recognize that I didn't want to pull rank. Considering I'm the first S-Class Wizard on site, and since none of you are qualified for this, I'm in charge anyways." he dismissed Gray's threats easily before turning to the encased Demon.

"And secondly, I was joking Gray. I won't melt your master into the sea." he said calmly, leaving Gray to sigh in relief. Natsu then broke out a wicked smile "Although I won't deny that I'm curious to see how my fire does against it,"

Gray returned to his aggressive stance from before "You better not try anything Natsu!" he yelled at the Dragonslayer.

The Dragonslayer himself just laughed "Calm down Gray, don't get your panties in a twist." he mocked. Once he stopped laughing, his face turned to that of amusement "I happened to overhear everything that those goons said. Suffice to say, I don't plan to take you guys back anytime soon. We're needed on the Island, that's clear to see."

"Won't Erza or Mira have any objections? Or possibly both! Not even you could stop that firestorm!"

"I eat fire though…."

"You know what I mean!"

"You oughta worry more about that giant demon over there more than the two that are heading towards this Island currently." Natsu replied smugly before picking up Wendy and lying her down on a rock, promptly sitting next to her himself. He looked up a Gray "Besides, if the girls do get antsy, I'll deal with them."

Happy seemed to have calmed down, or more accurately fell asleep from the energy he exhausted from panicking. He was currently sleeping on Wendy, who was also sleeping next to Natsu. The older Dragonslayer sweatdropped at their antics, it seems his fun was over for now.

"Wait, so you aren't going to take us back?" Lucy inquired, the fact that Natsu had tracked them down so quickly still scared the shit out of her. She still didn't even know what kind of punishment that the S-Class Dragonslayer had in store for them.

He laughed "I flew here Lucy, I'm not in the mood to fly back carrying three idiots on my back."

"But aren't there four of us?" sighed Gray, trying to ignore the jab.

"I'm not counting Wendy, dumbass."

"Why you-"

"Relax popsicle, you two oughta get some rest. You all are lucky that I'm one of the fun S-Class Wizards who'd actually let you complete this thing." Natsu chuckled as he held up his hand to stop Gray from attacking him, his light tone seemed to also be commanding somehow, which caused Gray to prevent himself from throwing a punch at the Dragonslayer.

Lucy sighed in relief while Gray huffed, the Ice Wizard still being clearly annoyed at the Dragonslayer for his intrusion on their quest. But even through all his anger, he knew that Natsu was right when he said he'd let them complete it, he was laid back like that.

Lucy raised her hand to get Natsu's attention, making him raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"What is it Lucy?"

"Would you mind if I have one of my spirit's play music for us while we wait?"

"Sure, knock yourself out."

Lucy was about to use one of her keys but she paused when Natsu spoke up again.

"Hey Lucy,"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm not a school teacher, there's no need to raise your hand with me. Just say what you gotta say." he chuckled at her expense, although jokingly.

"S-Sure Natsu." she blushed in embarrassment, making him chuckle again while she brought out the key she was looking for.

"OPEN: GATE OF THE HARP CONSTELLATION, LYRA!"

The bright glow in front of them faded to reveal a woman who was regally dressed with a harp on her back. Her dirty blonde hair being in curls that flowed down her back, she looked as if a smile could never leave her face.

"Hi Lucy! Long time no see huh?" Lyra smiled at the one who summoned her, "You know I'm really surprised that you don't summon me more often."

Lucy sweatdropped "Weren't you the one who said that their only available a few times in a month?"

"I said that?" Lyra genuinely looked surprised at her summoner's statement, confused as to how and when she said that.

Lyra looked around and checked out the rest of the group, Gray was sitting on an edge that overlooked Deliora while Happy and Wendy were sitting by Natsu.

Lyra blushed when she looked at the Fire Dragonslayer, she leaned over to Lucy "Who's that hunk over there? Is he single?"

Lucy blushed too while Natsu chuckled, he of course, had heard what the Spirit said. "I'm flattered by your compliment, Miss?" he asked with a charming smile on his face.

"Please, call me Lyra!" the Spirit replied quickly, batting her eyelashes at Natsu. He sent her another grin in return "That's a lovely name you have there Lyra, you may call me Natsu."

Lucy deadpanned, "Can you please not hit on any of my Spirits?".

Natsu scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment "Force of habit I guess, but that doesn't mean that I can't meet any lovely ladies along the way," he laughed and broke out a smile at the end of his sentence.

"Oh you're too kind Natsu~" Lyra cooed, showing Natsu a seductive smile. She removed her harp from her back and looked to the Dragonslayer "What kind of song would you like me to play?" she asked him, her focus completely on Natsu and no longer on Lucy.

The Celestial Wizard herself just stared slack jawed at the scene before her, her Spirit had completely ignored her request and went right off to the Dragonslayer. Natsu pondered on his choice "Something… calm, soothing even."

"Alright!" Lyra exclaimed before she begun to play her harp, she picked a song that she knew Natsu- I mean they would enjoy.

 _Words are born into air_

 _And quickly fade out in the wind_

 _But they find their way inside you_

 _Where they live on forevermore..._

 _When skies are dark and full of rain_

 _Look inside your heart_

 _The light, so warm will and all aglow_

 _Shining just like the sun._

 _You can see, just how much you've grown_

 _How strong you are.._

 _A love will open up to you_

 _And it starts from the day that you,_

 _first heard those words_

Upon the end of her song, she smiled brightly when she saw Natsu clapping for her, he motioned for her to look at Wendy and Happy who both had soft smiles on their faces. Lyra always loved to bring joy to people with her songs, she blushed deeply when she heard Natsu's next comment.

"That was a lovely song Lyra, you have a beautiful voice might I add." he grinned, ignoring the glare that was being sent his way by Lucy. Natsu had only just met one of her Spirits and he was making Lyra melt already, Lucy didn't even want to know what would happen if he met Aquarius.

"T-T-Thank you N-Natsu." the Harp Spirit stuttered out before she went back to the Celestial Spirit World, her face the colour of Erza's hair and a large smile spread across her face.

Natsu looked over to Gray who looked to be tearing up from the song, he saw Lucy attempt to get up to walk over to the Ice Wizard but he stopped her. "Leave him be, he's got his own stuff to figure out." Natsu said calmly, Lucy complied and sat back down.

*Flashback*

 _In a small clearing that led to a snow covered field were two boys and a woman. One of the boys was on his knees while the other was standing a few meters behind him, the woman in front of both of them with her back facing them._

 _The boy who was on his knees had hair as dark as the night, so did the woman too. At first glance one might think them to be Mother and Son, however they actually Student and Master, despite the cold weather that the boy felt, the woman wore rather casual clothing. This was something that annoyed the boy to no end._

" _Are you sure you want to train with me Gray? It could get quite tough you know." the woman said, her back still facing the boy._

 _There was a long silence between them before the boy gave his answer, it carried resolve and understanding._

" _Yeah."_

 _The woman turned around and looked down at the boy, a smile graced her face, she looked to her two students before her._

" _Alright then. Let's get started boys,"_

*Flashback end*

As Lucy and Gray settled down, Natsu decided to leave them be for a few hours, even though they were in trouble they should get some rest in case a fight happens.

Natsu chuckled again before he fell asleep, taking a nap never hurt after all right?

 _ **Sometime later**_

"Hey stripper, it's time to wake up." Natsu lightly kicked Gray, causing him to start grumbling as he woke from his sleep. Of course he stopped when Natsu motioned to the purple light that was hanging over Deliora.

He wasn't the only one entranced by it. Wendy, Lucy, and Happy easily took notice of the change of colour in the room.

Above Deliora at the top of the cavern, a magic circle appeared, emitting a purple beam that was shining downwards onto the demon.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

"Let's go find out what it is, hopefully there'll be something that I'm legally allowed to punch." Natsu joked. He hasn't had a drink in days, not that he was an alcoholic but dealing with two women who constantly fight each other will do that to you, so hitting something or someone will have to do instead.

The rest of the group nodded as they all got up to follow the pink haired Dragonslayer, they walked up the narrow stairs that led back up into the temple. They went up a floor in the temple and saw a circle on the ceiling above them on this floor as well. The two circles aligned perfectly.

"What the hell is going on with these magic circles?" Gray asked as he looked to Natsu for an answer, but Natsu seemed to be just as confused as he was.

"I don't know, but I think whatever it is, it must be coming from the top of the temple. Let's start there." The older Dragonslayer figured as he started running to the next set of stairs, making the ground below him rumble with each step he took. This made the others slightly unsettled of course.

They found the last flight of stairs and ran upwards, Natsu and Wendy perked their ears at the sound of chanting. As soon as they exited the temple, they found themselves at the mountaintop of the Island, it was almost as if the Moon was aligned with the temple itself.

Natsu put a finger to his lips as they crouched down to find a spot to hide behind a short stone wall, and observed. Lucy was the first to speak up, albeit quietly. "What are they doing?" she whispered, the group of people chanting in a circle surrounding the middle of the mountaintop was weird enough.

"Some kind of ritual it looks like, it seems the magic used on Deliora is being drawn from the Moon." Natsu said quietly, he still didn't know exactly what the magic was though.

"That's the Moon Drip." a familiar voice answered.

Everyone turned around to see Lyra, apparently she had returned at a not so good time. Natsu recovered quickly "Why are they using it?", he asked inquisitively, he had never seen this spell before.

"They're going to the Moon Drip to melt the Ice around that Demon in the cavern."

"What?! They can't! The Ice used in an Iced Shell can't be melted!" Gray spoke up this time, worry clearly heard in his voice.

"That's not entirely true, Moon Drip can melt it because it's a spell that uses focused moon energy."

"Idiots! They've never faced the wrath of Deliora! Let's get 'em!"

Natsu grabbed Gray before he could jump out and cause a scene. Gray huffed at his situation "Why aren't we out there interrupting this! They're gonna wake up Deliora so we have to stop them!"

Natsu simply put his finger to his lips and motioned towards a few approaching figures, making Gray shut his mouth.

Four figures approached the ritual at hand, the three from before being Yuka, Toby, and Sherry. But the fourth was a rather tall man with an off putting helmet adorned with fur and horns, he wore a white cloak and a blue jacket underneath.

"I lost so much precious sleep for nothing, there was not a single trace of any intruders at all." Yuka wallowed.

"MAYBE BECAUSE THERE WEREN'T ANY!" Toby yelled at Yuka.

Sherry ignored the other two and walked up to the man leading them, "I'm afraid that I have some sad news Cold Emperor, we thought we had intruders during the day, but we couldn't find them. I cannot speak of love in this situation."

The Cold Emperor seemed to acknowledge her words before turning back to her, "Has Deliora been awakened yet?".

"It should be awake later tonight or tomorrow night my lord," she answered.

The Cold Emperor paused before giving a response, "The time has almost come, if you happen to come upon any of those intruders again, kill them. I don't anyone getting in my way."

Sherry looked down at the ground, her reply deeply saddened her "They must have been villagers, they are the only other people on this Island."

"Then eradicate the villagers."

Gray immediately felt Natsu's grip on him lessen at the Cold Emperor's statement, the Dragonslayer let him go entirely and turned back to his allies.

"Gray, you and I will stay here to make sure this thing doesn't go to shit." his voice carrying a commanding tone now, the Ice Make Wizard nodded his head in agreement. Natsu then looked to Wendy and Lucy.

"Wendy, Lucy, and Happy will go to the village and make sure it's safe, Mira and Erza should be here soon so they'll help you out when they get there."

He then looked at Lyra "Thanks for the tip Lyra, but I'm afraid you've got to be going now." he winked at her before turning to Gray. "Follow my lead." he said as he walked out from behind their cover, Gray following close behind. The others slipped away and started to head back to the village.

Damn was this going to be a pain in the ass.


	11. Galuna Island (4)

**I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

Although he hadn't mentioned it to Natsu earlier, the voice of the Cold Emperor had off put Gray. It sounded so familiar, yet so distant. He couldn't quite place it, he needed to know more.

Natsu walked out of their cover confidently, this Cold Emperor prick wanted the village destroyed, and Natsu wanted to punch something. Only one of them was going to get what they wanted.

"I'm sorry, did I hear that right? You wanted to destroy the village?" asked Natsu as he walked up to the stunned group of four. He never even broke his stride.

"And who might you be?" asked the Cold Emperor, he seemed less stunned than his cohorts had when the Dragonslayer revealed himself, but what actually caught the masked man's eye was the man walking next to Natsu.

' _Gray…'_

Natsu stopped in his tracks suddenly, so did Gray. He stared at the Cold Emperor with unwavering eyes, "I am Natsu Dragneel, one of the Twin Aces of Fairy Tail, Son of Igneel, and the Fire Dragon Prince. You will stand down from reviving the Demon of Destruction Deliora, or I will provide the necessary force to make you."

The masked man didn't seemed to be impressed, he laughed in fact "I like your resume, however I wonder what one of Fairy Tail's Twin Aces would be doing on this Island."

"Me? I'm here to punch something, that something happens to be you and your pals."

"I honestly doubt you could lay a finger on me, even the two of you couldn't-" he was cut off as he was sent into the ground by Natsu's fist, which was jammed into the Cold Emperor's back. Sherry, Yuka, and Toby looked in shock as they saw their leader get curb stomped so easily.

' _Impossible… I didn't even see him move…'_ thought the Cold Emperor as he got back up groaning from the pain that single punch delivered, he looked to his minions and waved them off, "Go destroy the village, nothing must stand in my way."

Gray snapped, he found the voice, who it belonged to. His fellow student from when he trained with Ur.

' _Lyon…'_

"Lyon, why the hell are you doing this?!" Gray yelled at the masked man, who was still locked in a staring match with Natsu. However the Cold Emperor broke his gaze from the Dragonslayer and looked to Gray, a sinister smile spreading on his face.

Natsu still continued his stare but was stunned that Gray knew the man that stood before them, "Gray you know this guy?" he asked, his magical energy spiking little by little. The raven haired Wizard nodded "He's another one of Ur's former students."

"I swear, what is with Ice Wizards and Demons? I just don't get it." Natsu deadpanned.

Both Lyon and Gray sweatdropped at Natsu's revelation, in all honesty though he had a point.

"Natsu, I gotta take on this clown. He's my responsibility as Ur's student." Gray said with a determined look on his face, his declaration caused the Dragonslayer to turn around and face him. They locked eyes for a few moments before Natsu broke the silence.

"Sure, why not," he said with a shrug as he walked over to a rock and sat down.

Gray wasn't prepared for this reaction though as he had his response in his mouth beforehand, "Natsu please- wait what?"

"I said knock yourself out stripper. This is your S-Class mission not mine, but if this guy does wipe the floor with you, then it's playtime for me." Natsu replied looking disappointed, hopefully there would be something else for him to punch at least.

"Hmph fool, you dare turn your back on the Cold Emperor!" shouted Lyon as he stuck out one of his arms to release a spell at Natsu.

"ICE MAKE: EAGLES!"

Five eagles made of ice flew out at Natsu, who appeared to be looking bored as the eagles approached. The eagles didn't even make it ten feet in front of Natsu before they shattered like glass, making Gray snicker. Natsu sighed, "Oops, sorry that's my Crash Barrier, try not to tire yourself out."

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, his attack didn't even land and it was canceled instantly. ' _What kind of monster is this man?'_ he thought, he didn't notice Gray preparing for an attack.

"ICE MAKE: LANCE!"

Lyon barely had time to roll, Gray's attack grazed his side and tore his cloak. Lyon looked up at Gray with annoyance, grabbing his side as he got back up "Cheap shot Gray, I expected better of you." he said monotone, his voice returning to normal.

Natsu snorted "It's not his fault you don't have situational awareness."

"Shut up!" Lyon shouted as he raised his arm to shoot another spell at the Dragonslayer.

"ICE MAKE: TIGER!"

A tiger made of ice shot out of the magic circle in front of Lyon, it barreled towards the Dragonslayer with barred fangs. It clenched it's mouth open as it lunged at Natsu, but shattered just like the eagles had except it was farther away from Natsu.

"Seriously, your just going to waste your magic if you keep this up." the Dragonslayer chuckled now, it was funny whenever somebody tried this. Crash Magic was just so much fun wasn't it?

Lyon growled at the Dragonslayer before he focused his attention to Gray, who was preparing another spell. He raised his hand in response.

"ICE MAKE: WOLVES!"

"ICE MAKE: CANNON!"

As the Ice Wolves bounded after Gray, he fired his cannon at them, making either attacks useless against their respective casters.

"Lyon, why are you doing this?! Deliora is way out of your league!" shouted Gray, a look of concern on his face for his former comrade, but also because they'd be screwed if the Demon got out. Lyon simply smirked at this "Funny, that's exactly what Ur and I told you that fateful day. But you didn't listen did you?"

Gray's anger turned to surprise, and then self-contempt, a sullen look appeared across his face as he listen to Lyon's continued ranting.

"Not even Ur herself was powerful enough to stop Deliora and live, but now I'm stronger than she ever was. I will surpass her by slaying the Demon it-" he stopped when he heard Natsu laughing crazily, he looked over to the Dragonslayer with a scowl. "What's so funny?" he asked angrily, the Dragonslayer wasn't even taking this situation seriously.

Natsu somehow managed to say his answer between breaths "You honestly think you can beat that Demon?", he burst out into another fit of laughing, making Gray sweatdrop. ' _Of course he'd make fun of an opponent at a time like this, and even calling Lyon a threat to Natsu is stretching it way to far.'_

"That has got to be the funniest shit I have ever heard," Natsu recovered now, a grin on his face. "Popsicle, how many years has that Demon been trapped in the Ice?" he asked as he now looked over to Gray.

The reply came instantly "About ten years, why?" he asked with a curious glint in his eyes, what was Natsu onto?

"Cause the Demon is probably already dead." Natsu said still looking amused, he saw the confusion of the two Ice Mages and clarified, "How long do you think it would be able to survive without food? Wasn't the Shell killing it slowly anyways?"

Gray understood immediately, but Lyon simply shook his head before casting another spell.

"ICE MAKE: SNOW DRAGON!"

A sparkling dragon emerged at flew at Gray, throwing him high into the air and raking it's claws along his back. Blood spurted from the gashes in his back as he hit the ground, he was still conscious but in massive amounts of pain. Somehow though, he shot up quickly.

"ICE MAKE: HAMMER!"

Lyon expected this one however.

"ICE MAKE: ELEPHANT!"

The Hammer and the Elephant flew at each other, but due to its size, the Elephant blasted through the Hammer and stomped Gray.

"You still use Static Ice Make Magic, pathetic. Dynamic Ice Make Magic is superior in every way, and I have also mastered one handed Ice Make Magic, something Ur could never do." Lyon prattled on, giving our heroes a nice exposition dump.

Natsu yawned, it was so boring that it was actually starting to get on his nerves. "Alright Gray, you've had your 'fun' now it's my turn." he said casually as he stood up and walked over to the standing Ice Make Wizard, his footsteps causing tiny quakes.

"CRASH!"

Lyon suddenly found the ground beneath him no longer stable as it shattered, leaving him to fall back into the temple, while also making Natsu slightly angry that the Ice Wizard got out of it so easy. "Ahhhhhhh!" he screamed as he fell down the large pit that went into the middle of the temple.

"AWW C'MON MAN! I GET TO FINALLY PUNCH SOMEBODY AND THEY GET OUT OF IT! WHAT THE HELL!" Natsu whined, mock crying too even.

The Dragonslayer then remembered that Gray was still there, he looked out of it due to the blood loss. He walked over and sighed, picking him up and hefting Gray onto one of his shoulders. "I guess I should probably get to the village then," the Dragonslayer muttered to himself as he adjusted the Ice Wizard currently on his shoulder.

 _ **With Wendy's group**_

"So when are these guys supposed to show up?"

Wendy sighed, that was the fifth time Lucy had asked her that, and it was beginning to get tiring. "We'll just have to be careful Lucy, but we also have to keep watch for Natsu and Gray." she said tiredly, they had run all the way back to the village which happened to be further away than they remembered.

"I know but I'm just concerned is all…" said Lucy solemnly, then she suddenly bolted upright, "I know what we can do in the meantime! Make defences!". She rummaged through her keys and found the one that she and Natsu had gotten on her first job.

"OPEN: GATE OF THE MAIDEN, VIRGO!"

A bright light shimmered until it showed a petite pink-haired woman in a maids uniform. "You summoned me Princess?" she asked expressionlessly.

"Yes! We gotta defend this village so can you help us set up defences?"

"Yes ma'am, I will set to it immediately Princess!"

It was all a blur as Virgo dug a pit right in front of the town gate, about ten metres deep and grass covering the hole to make it look non-existent, when in reality it was pretty easy to see. "All finished Princess!"

Lucy smiled at her Spirit "Thanks Virgo!" she said as Virgo disappeared in a puff of smoke. Wendy and Happy sweatdropped, ' _Are they all weirdos?'_ they both thought at the same time. They weren't wrong, all of these Spirits are weirdos.

Happy deadpanned "Lucy, do you honestly think someone's going to fall for that?", Lucy pouted at the cat's question. "How about you try to stay positive you damn cat!" she yelled angrily.

Wendy sweatdropped, it kind of seemed like she was the only normal person on their team, or in Fairy Tail to be honest. "Sorry Lucy but I have to agree with Happy," she said, making Lucy's previous happy attitude go away within seconds.

"I just wanted to help…" Lucy cried through comical tears.

Wendy was about to reply when she heard one of the villagers on the walls, "Open the gate!" he yelled. "Natsu your ba-" she stopped herself this time as the gate opened up to show two angry female Wizards, the small Dragonslayer shivered in fear as she saw the two glares that they both sent their way.

"Care to finish that sentence?" Erza asked, her gaze and voice never wavering in its tone. If looks could kill, then Magnolia might need a bigger cemetery.

"H-H-Hey E-Erza, h-hey M-Mira…" began Wendy, she could hear Lucy shaking violently behind her, and Happy appeared to have fainted from pure fear. The two women in front of them stepped forward, unaware of the trap that Virgo had set. Wendy noticed this and her eyes went wide, "No wait! Stop, don't move!" she yelled desperately, not wanting to anger to two anymore than they to be.

Unfortunately for the rulebreakers, neither did the Knight nor the She-Demon listen to her warning as they walked right onto the covered pit and fell right in, Mira let out a small "Oof!", while Erza yelled her way down "KYAA!".

Wendy didn't notice Natsu before he started chuckling, he was at the entrance of the village with Gray slung over his shoulder, the Ice Wizard looked severely injured and Natsu had a look of annoyance on his face. "Wow Erza, that was pretty damn cute." he laughed this time, his annoyance now replaced by a grin.

"Natsu! Your back! What happened to Gray?" the small Dragonslayer asked, concerned for her friend.

"He wanted to fight that Cold Emperor guy, so I let him." he didn't expand upon it further as he handed Gray off to her before walking over to the pit that held Erza and Mira. As he was walking up, he saw two pairs of hands, one pair gauntleted. They pulled themselves up, both of them looked pissed, but Erza had a slight blush on her face.

"Natsu, did you let them continue their quest?" Erza asked darkly, still trying to fight her blush away. He laughed again and slung his arm around her shoulders, walking to the main group where the others were "You know that that's just the kind of guy I am Erza, besides… Gramps might give them _THAT_ as punishment." he said through grinning. He just loved to torture his friends didn't he?

Erza completely forgot her question as she was stunned by Natsu's sudden contact, completely ignoring the death glare that Mira sent her, his touch sent shivers down her spine. "I-I-I guess you can be forgiven this time N-Natsu," she stuttered quietly.

"Thanks Erza! You're the best!" he exclaimed as he hugged her and rubbed their cheeks together, making Erza almost faint due to the blood rushing to her head. ' _He's manhandling me in front of our guildmates! But why am I not shoving him off? Do I like it…'_ she thought to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mira fuming enough to start a bonfire.

"AHEM!" the She-Demon cleared her throat, making the two break off from each other instantly, both of them revealing blushes as they both looked away in embarrassment. Mira continued, "Shouldn't we be preoccupied with getting these idiots back to the guild?".

Natsu recovered first, "Aww no need to ruin the mood Mira, I'm sure we can let them finish up their job before we head back to the guild." he said through mock sadness, gaining a pout from the Knight and the She-Demon. "You two can have your fun with them once we get back to the guild, currently, we have a situation on our hands." his demeanor changing suddenly to that of seriousness as he explained what went on at the temple.

"So there's a Demon under the temple, and some punks want to use the moon to free it?" asked Mira.

"Yes."

"And one of those punks beat up Gray?"

"Yes."

"And there's more of them on the way?"

"Yes."

"And-"

"Ok just stop it, I'm in no mood to answer this many questions. I haven't had a drink in a few days and my chance to punch something slipped between my fingers." he replied darkly, his mood was not improving for the enemies on the Island.

"Someone's cranky!" cooed Erza, which surprised Natsu considering she had beaten Mira to the punch.

He turned his head to look at her, a mixture of confusion and annoyance on his face "You wanna start something fire crotch?". He earned himself a victorious smirk as he saw the Knight turn beet red, she was about to reply when they heard something.

Natsu and Wendy instantly turned their heads towards the source of the noise, is that… a flying rat? ' _What the hell…'_ they both thought simultaneously.

"How is that thing flying?!" shouted Lucy.

The creature in question was flying somehow through the use of it's tail, which was spinning horizontally above it. On its back, only seen by the two Dragonslayers present, were three people. The creature also looked to be holding a giant bucket that contained… well something. It smelled off, it smelt of decay and burning.

"It is a shame that we must put an end to these poor people, but it must be done in the name of love!" said Sherry as she clutched her hands close to her chest.

"What are you going on about now woman?!" yelled Toby.

"That's enough from the both of you, the Cold Emperor demanded we give them death, so it shall be a swift one." Yuka snapped at the other two, calming down afterwards as the flying rat hovered over the village.

A drop of the substance that was in the bucket fell down into the village, it was about to land on Lucy when she was tackled by Natsu. Whatever it was burned through the ground it had landed on.

"Thank you Natsu," Lucy said, but was ignored as the Dragonslayer got up instantly. "Everyone get to the middle of the town!" he roared, calling it a yell would have been an understatement. By now, the cursed villagers, now in full demon form, had already seen what came out of the bucket. They listened to Natsu and went to the middle of the village, the rest of the Fairy Tail Wizards close behind. Well… all except for one.

"No! I refuse to leave Bobo!" shouted the village chieftain as he clung to his son's grave, many other villagers broke off from the main group to save him, and were able to successfully grab him in time much to his chagrin.

Natsu then shot into the sky as he saw the rat dump the bucket over the town, he grit his teeth at the site, and then brought his magic out to play. " **With the flames of the Fire Dragon in my right hand… and the Destructive Force of the Ancients in the other…"** he began to chant as he summoned his Fire and Crash Magics, bringing them together.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT CRASHING FLAME!"**

He clapped his hands together towards the descending drop of acid, the sound of his magics coming together sent a shockwave as well as the combined magics. The Crash Magic broke down the acid, while the fire completely burned what was left of it. Down below, everyone could feel the force of Natsu's attack, sending some villagers flying into a few homes. Lucy was holding onto the ground for dear life and Wendy was trying to make sure that Gray didn't fly as well.

Erza and Mira held their ground, but were being pushed back a few feet. When the shockwave ended, they could see the rat descend quite quickly towards the village, completely passing Natsu by as he was still floating in the air.

Erza turned to Mira "Mira, get the villagers and the rest of us out of here! Natsu and I will deal with thing!" she ordered, the She-Demon nodded with a "Hmph!" and ran off shouting to the villagers.

BOOM!

Erza turned around to see the front half of the village decimated as it was covered by the huge rat.

Out from where the rat was, the three from before were walking towards her, but they stopped when Natsu landed on the ground on both of his feet.

"Impressive, you completely destroyed the Double Jelly Acid, but you won't be able to get past us." Yuka said with a smirk.

Natsu didn't reply, he just stood there with his feet rooted in the ground, but Erza raised her sword for being on the defensive.

"We wanted to kill you mercifully, but it seems we've been forced to resort to brute force instead, and we won't stop until every villager on this Island has been killed." added Sherry, her face still retained that sad look. "Angelica,"

'Angelica' got up, did a flip and started flying towards the villagers but was promptly stopped as something had grabbed her tail.

Erza watched in awe at how fast Natsu had flown in the air to grab the rat's tail, and swing her down to the three in front of her, he hadn't even put in the tiniest effort.

Natsu grinned madly as he held the rat's tail, he could feel the looks of shock on their opponent's faces. He tightened his grip on the rat's tail and swung her down at the three who threatened to kill the villagers, grinning the whole time. He sucked in the air around him and decided to speed up the rat's descent.

" **FIRE DRAGON'S CRASHING ROAR!"**

White flames sprouted forth from the Dragonslayer's mouth down at the rat, consuming it but not killing it, sending it down crashing into the three wizards.

He landed again and walked up to the knocked out rat, lifting it up and chuckling when he saw three unconscious wizards, one of them muttering something about love or whatnot. He turned to Erza whose jaw was on the ground, "N-N-Natsu… what the hell…" she stuttered out.

Natsu looked confused at first but shrugged after a few moments, walking up to Erza while whistling "What? Can't a man make some fireworks?" he asked, making the Knight giggle at his rhetorical question.

"No, but blowing up half of the town might be a problem." Erza said while sweat dropping, Natsu turned around to look at his handiwork, and it made his eyes bulge out.

Half of the town itself, and as well as the outside of the town, was replaced by a huge crater that stretched for about a kilometer in circumference. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment before he got smacked by Erza, "That's for being so careless as to blow up the town!".

He rubbed the spot where he had been hit, "Ok, I guess I did deserve that one… hehe," he lightly chuckled as to not provoke Erza further, however he still received a glare from the red-head as they began walking back towards the direction that the villagers had taken earlier. They arrived at the camp everyone was posted at and settled in for the night.

Morning arrived in the form of the Fairy Tail Wizards arguing amongst themselves, which annoyed Natsu considering he was the last one to be awake.


	12. Galuna Island (5)

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 _ **Temple of the Moon - Throne Room**_

"What do you mean you were unable to wipe out the villagers?!"

The night before had been very humiliating for Yuka, Sherry, and Toby. Therefore, being chewed out by a lightly bandaged Lyon hadn't made things any better, the Salamander had defeated them instantly via Angelica.

"The Salamander overwhelmed us my lord, we were no match for him." Sherry explained, making Toby and Yuka growl in annoyance. The damn woman's rat had been thrown at them, and not to mention the Salamander's Roar which had created the crater they woke up in.

"No! I totally would have had him if it wasn't for that stupid rat!", Toby yelled.

"I agree with Toby for once, Salamander got off lucky if you ask me,", Yuka nodded in agreement with the dog-man.

"Oh please, neither of you would have even the slightest chance against the Salamander." a hearty voice said while chuckling, Lyon's anger turned into slight relief.

"Zalty, now that you are here, do you plan to help us deal with these intruders?" Lyon asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice as a short man revealed himself to the group. He was wearing a green tribal mask and had red cloak, a wide grin almost as big as Natsu's across his face.

"Why not, however I do implore you all to stay away from the Salamander, he obviously wasn't even using a sliver of his power against you last night." the short man replied, his voice wavering at the mention of Natsu but not enough to let Lyon and the others catch on.

The others simply dropped their jaws, the amount of destruction caused last night, wasn't even the Dragonslayer's full power.

"I dabble in a bit of lost magic myself, so if any of us will fight him, then it will be me." Zalty finished. Lyon was about to give orders, but then suddenly…

BOOM!

"What the hell was that!" yelled the Cold Emperor as he jumped up from his throne.

Zalty chuckled again, "That must be the Salamander, well then I must be off. We must be completing the ritual tonight, Deliora must be resurrected." he said before scurrying off into the depths of the temple.

Lyon sighed before turning to his subordinates, "Yuka and Sherry, you two keep out those intruders. Toby, round up some of the worshippers and complete the ritual, Deliora will be freed tonight."

The three before him bowed and headed off to their respective duties, Lyon sunk back into his chair, still groaning from the fall that the Salamander had given him.

Running down a hallway in the temple, Zalty was sweating ' _Natsu, why must you be here of all places?'_ , 'he' thought as he continued running towards Deliora's chamber.

 _ **Earlier**_

Natsu woke up to the incessant arguing of his guildmates.

Or more specifically, Erza and Mira.

"What were you doing with him while we were with the villagers huh? You trying to steal my man, fire crotch?" Mira shouted, making the Dragonslayer in question rub his temples and groan. He looked over to Wendy and saw that she was doing the same, perks of being Dragonslayers they guessed.

"He doesn't belong to you! And for your information, he blew up the village!" Erza shouted back, her cheeks slightly flushed from Mira's leading question. Natsu decided to step in now.

"Ladies, before you make my head explode, please keep it down. Wendy and I are trying to slee-"

"SHUT UP!" a gust of wind blew itself into Natsu's face, blowing his hair back wildly and confusing him. ' _How the hell did that happen? Our tent is closed…'_ he thought, his face then suddenly took on an expressionless look, but he set his glare onto the two girls in front of him.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he said calmly, the two girls continued fighting.

"Red haired hussy!"

"Demon-Bitch!"

"Fire crotch!"

"Damn whore!"

They stopped instantly as soon as they felt a deadly aura behind them, they both turned around shaking and saw Natsu, with a look that promised pain and suffering in his eyes. Since he was a foot taller than both of them, he picked them up by his hands like a mother bear would for her cub.

They were flailing around in his arms like children while Lucy looked on in horror, these two who could strike fear into anyone, were held up like brats by an angry Natsu.

"Are you two ready to calm down?" he asked darkly, his face covered by his hair. The girls nodded and he dropped them on the ground, both avoiding looking at each other.

Gray groaned, his hand finding its way to the side that was covered in bandages, "What the hell happened?" he asked weakly, his eyes still half-shut.

Natsu chuckled "Common question nowadays, ain't that right Happy?".

"Aye Sir!" exclaimed Happy, he gave Natsu a salute.

"I don't remember anything after you picked me up though," Gray continued, "What happened after that?".

"I blew up the village." Natsu admitted easily, earning another smack from Erza. The Dragonslayer looked back at the Knight with a surprised look, "What? It was only half of the village. And those goons would have done a lot more damage than me." he said while crossing his arms.

Everyone looked at him with a 'Seriously?' look, he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Ok, I might have gone a little bit overboard then," he said sparingly. Secretly though he was preparing for another hit from Erza.

Right on time, a fist tried to connect with his head. He caught Erza's fist, "That's enough hitting me dear, keep it up and I'll have to punish you," he said grinning.

Her face glowed and she instantly lowered her arm, he laughed at this while she pouted the whole time.

"Ahem!" Mira cleared her throat, she was tapping her foot impatiently as she was waiting for Natsu and Erza to finish their little scuffle.

Natsu recovered first, "Anyways, we should clean up the rest of the Island. Those idiots at the temple ain't gonna fight themselves." he said as he put his fist in his palm.

"Yeah, I still gotta pay back Lyon for the beating he gave me." Gray added in.

"Ha! Yeah you looked like shit last night!" Natsu ducked to avoid another swing by Erza.

"Shut up flamebrain, at least I didn't blow up a village!"

"Cause you were too busy snoozing, stripper."

"You piece of-"

Gray was punched by Erza this time since her attempts to hit Natsu had been in vain. She turned to the Dragonslayer in question, her glare actually scaring him a little bit "No swearing in front of Wendy. Got it?".

Natsu looked down and muttered "Aye sir…", except he sounded saddened instead of excited. Wendy and the others sweatdropped, it wasn't like she hadn't heard that stuff before, she does live in the same house as Natsu after all.

Mira switched the subject "I thought we were gonna take them back?".

Natsu grinned, "Nope! Erza and I came to an executive decision! We're gonna stay and complete the job, just cause there's also the massive Demon in the Temple's basement." He didn't notice the woman next to him jump slightly at his words.

"WHAT!" yelled Mira. Everyone expected a reaction from Erza, but her thoughts were elsewhere.

' _N-Natsu… and I-I… came…. Me and N-N-Natsu….'_ she was thinking as her face went completely red, matching the colour of her hair. She shook her head to get those thoughts out of her head, when she was finished clearing her thoughts she noticed everyone in the room looking at her weird.

"What?" she asked, her mood switched instantly to that of embarrassment. She saw Natsu chuckle with Mira while everyone was dead silent.

"What's so funny?" Erza asked the She-Demon, her voice hardening.

"Y-you were thinking of your smut novels weren't you?" she replied between laughs.

"N-No! Now let us be off to the temple!" the Knight stammered as she walked out of the tent, the rest of the Fairy Tail Wizards following behind.

' _Damn Natsu for trapping me in my thoughts! Damn that Demon for laughing at me!'_ she fumed inwardly as they walked out of the camp in which the villagers resided in.

' _We slept longer than we should have,'_ Natsu thought to himself as they walked along the dirt path that led past the ruined village and towards the temple, Natsu gained a few looks from his comrades and a giggle from his sister and Happy.

The sun was setting pretty fast in fact, the moon would come out to play soon, and even though Natsu was pretty sure about his theory concerning the Demon itself, it was just that; a theory. He would prefer to not be wrong and end up fighting Deliora, as glorious as that would be.

But then of course, there would be interruptions.

He noticed the hoard of worshippers first, they were waiting silently about forty feet away from them, waiting to ambush the Fairy Tail Wizards. Wendy caught on as well as they both stopped suddenly, making the rest of them confused.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Lucy asked.

"There's a large group of enemies up ahead, we'll split up so one group can head into the temple, and the other to make sure that the villagers are safe." he said quietly, he turned to his friends "Lucy, Wendy, and Mira. You three take out those goons up ahead, Erza, Gray, and I will go into the temple. Happy you stay with Wendy, let's go."

"Ooooh, taking charge are we?" Mira cooed, batting her eyelashes at the Dragonslayer while also gaining a death stare from Erza.

"Just for now, but one of you guys are buying lunch when we get back," he said grabbing Erza and Gray and moving into the woods, leaving their friends behind.

"Red-headed bitch!" Mira muttered while shaking her fist, making Lucy and Happy hug each other in fear while Wendy sighed. ' _I told Gray that this was a bad idea, but he just had to go on this stupid quest.'_ the small Dragonslayer thought as they kept walking down the path, expecting to be attacked anytime soon.

The four of them stopped when they were greeted by a horde of angry moon worshippers wielding any type of weapon really.

"We will not allowing anything to stop the Cold Emperor! You all must perish!" one yelled.

"Yes, he will save us! We cannot allow you to stand in his way!" another added.

"You guys done?" Mira yawned, making the worshippers lose momentum in their threats suddenly. She then cracked her knuckles and walked up to them, "Cause I feel like punching something, and you guys happen to be here." she said with an evil glint in her eyes.

Behind the She-Demon, Lucy and Happy were shaking violently.

"S-S-Scary…" Lucy quivered.

"A-Aye ma'am…" Happy added.

 _ **With Natsu's Group**_

Even as far away as they were, Natsu didn't need his super hearing to notice the screams in the distance. He felt sorry for the cultists, they were Mira's little toys now. As for them, they were currently heading towards the temple.

"Sounds like Mira's having a field day." he said, gaining a snicker from Gray and nod from Erza.

"Natsu, why did you take me though? I'm sure Mira would've been more useful considering the condition I'm in." Gray asked, he winced a little as he clutched his side.

"Because you've got a bone to pick with that Cold Emperor brat," he answered immediately, "Just don't pull that Iced Shell bullshit, chances are that we won't need it against him or Deliora."

Gray gave Natsu a look of genuine shock, "You don't think they'll be able to free Deliora do you?" he asked, he suddenly forgot his injuries at Natsu's mention of the Demon.

Natsu shrugged, "Probably, they did mention that they were pretty close to completely melting the Ice." he answered. The temple coming into view now.

The Dragonslayer stopped walking as he noticed that Gray stopped his pace as well, his eyes hidden behind his hair as he was shaking.

"You say that so easily!" his voice shaking as he clenched his fists, "Does this mean nothing to you?! Deliora will be released! How can you be so casual about that?!"

"I must agree with Gray, this Demon must not be freed." Erza pitched in, now that she was aware of the Demon she knew the seriousness of the situation. A demon from the Book of Zeref was not to be taken lightly, even if you were a pyromaniac of a Dragonslayer.

Natsu sighed and shook his head, "Remember what I said yesterday Gray? If Ur was as powerful as you say she was, then the Iced Shell would have already done it's work. Deliora is probably dead already." he said tiredly. He was about to continue walking but was stopped with a hand on his shoulder.

"So you plan to let them free Deliora, because of a guess?!" the hand on his shoulder gripped him tighter than before.

Natsu ignored the Ice Make WIzard and simply continued walking towards the temple entrance, he frowned as he sniffed the air, which didn't go unnoticed by Erza. "Something wrong Natsu?" she asked, a frown of her own growing.

"Ultear is on the Island." he replied simply, his back was to them so they never saw the saddened look on his face.

Erza's eyebrow twitched at the mention of the Dragonslayer's ex, she was angry at the Councilwoman for many reasons, but none of them made her more angry than the fact that she used him and simply cast him aside like he was a rag. Just for some vain attempt to resurrect Zeref.

She was brought out of her thoughts as Natsu continued "She's in the temple. I shall go and deal with her, you two divide the targets amongst yourselves. Gray, don't do anything stupid." he finished that last part with a chuckle as he sped off into the temple's entrance, leaving both Erza and Gray very frustrated.

' _Why must he go to her whenever she appears?!'_ she thought, clenching her gauntleted fists. She slapped herself mentally, she shouldn't allow herself to doubt Natsu now, even if they came from a place of love.

Love? Where did that come from? She couldn't allow herself to be in love with anyone, especially with her secret. Natsu knew a lot of things, but she was sure that he didn't know about the Tower, or what _he_ was doing there.

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking at Gray with a hardened look. "Come on Gray, we must disrupt the ritual." she said now marching towards the temple with Gray in tow.

The Moon was out now, it's only a matter of time now.

 _ **Temple of the Moon - Lower levels**_

Even though he figured that the ritual wouldn't give the results that Lyon and his goons wanted, there was still fun to be had in screwing up their process, and boy did Natsu love to have fun.

When he got into the temple, he smashed one of the support beams that went from the floor to the ceiling, causing the temple to shift. Ultear would be the only one able to fix it so this would be a good way to lure her out, even if she did know that he was here.

Him being the sneaky Dragonslayer that he was, simply hid behind another pillar in the long narrow hallway that led to Deliora's chamber. It wasn't long before he heard someone running in his general direction.

As soon as the person was in front of him, he grabbed them by their cloak and brought them into a headlock, causing them to gasp in surprise. He sniffed the air again, the scent was coming from this person. Yep, it was Ultear. But why was she crossdressing?

"Why hello there dear, why is it that I always find you up to some world ending plot?" he asked sarcastically, "Don't you have any other hobbies?".

"I used to, but he left me to be with two sluts from his guild!" Ultear gritted her teeth through his hold while also reverting back to her original form, the charade was obviously up as soon as the Dragonslayer landed on the Island.

He let go as soon as he heard her say that, she turned around instantly and tried to land a blow to his head with her fist, however she failed as he grappled her again in response. "How many times are we going to do this Ultear, I don't want to fight you." he said calmly, letting her go again after a few moments.

"I don't care!" she yelled, throwing another sloppy punch at the Dragonslayer which he dodged. She lost her balance and fell to the floor, but her body refused to stand back up, she began sobbing too. "You never cared about me did you?" she muttered.

To say he was taken aback was an understatement, how could she even think that?

An uncomfortably long silence took hold until he finally responded to her statement. "Ultear, nothing could be further from the truth. I really did love you, you know." he said as he picked her up bridal style and walked down the hallway towards his destination.

"R-Really?" she asked somberly, she was sad a little when he said "did". She flushed a bit when he picked her up though, which did give her hope.

"Yeah," he said simply, another period of silence took place before he continued, "I really did, but you have to know why I split it off with you- no, you do know why I did what I did." he finished, expecting her to reply with words. All he got in response was a weak nod.

"I-I'm sorry… For everything Natsu. I just wish that I could go back to that day and accept your offer." she said, her head now nested in his chest. She could feel his warmth again, the warmth that she's always sought after since that day.

"Better late than never right?" he chuckled, making her laugh softly too. "You sound genuine Ultear, so I don't see a problem. Erza and Mira though… well they might need some convincing." he laughed nervously as he imagined the two angry women, he might be signing up for his own death sentence.

"Why?" she asked, honestly looking confused. He chuckled nervously again, "Well I might have told them who you work for and all…" unlike with Erza, he was unable to avoid being hit on his head by the woman in his arms.

"Idiot... I guess joining Fairy Tail will have to wait then."

"Well maybe you wouldn't mind telling me about the giant demon encased in Ice then?"

She looked up surprised at his question, not realizing that they were in Deliora's chamber. "Oh, about that…" she began nervously as she blushed a little. Ultear looked up to Natsu's face, it was stern with a slight smile now, she wondered how he could change his expressions so well.

"Well? Mind telling me why you'd wanna melt your mother? Considering that I smelled you up there with that Lyon guy, I'm guessing that you're also apart of this crazy plan to bring back Deliora?" he asked incredulously. The Ice was now at Deliora's waist, this was the final night until was all gone.

"Well… kind of?" she squeaked out, angering the Dragonslayer was the last thing she wanted to do.

"You do know that it's dead right?" Natsu sweatdropped, making her gasp again. That wasn't the answer she was expecting.

"How?" she asked as he lowered her to stand on her feet now.

He chuckled, "Your mom was one hell of a wizard, the spell drains whatever is inside of its strength, and it was stuck in there for ten years!" he said before giving another hearty laugh.

Ultear was silent as he laughed to himself. Her mother had slain Deliora, even in death she would hold that over her students. Her face hardened, "My mother also left me," she muttered out, making Natsu look at her in concern.

"No way she didn't." he replied simply, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Yes she did."

"Nope."

"Yes!"

"How about you ask her yourself then?" he said as he walked down towards the water that was dripping from the Ice, as soon as he reached the basin, he was up to his knees in water before he stuck his hand in it.

He looked back up at her with a smile on his face "I'm gonna need you to reset the beam I smashed."

She looked at him confused now "Wait, so now you want to release Deliora? Isn't that the opposite of what you want?"

"Just do it already,"

She sighed before leaving the room and resetting the beam he told her about, as soon as she did so, she saw a purple glow come from the room that Deliora resided in.

"It's only a matter of time then…" she muttered to herself as she walked back into the cavern. ' _What is he up to?'_ she thought as she laid down against a rock near the pool Natsu was currently residing in. His Crash Magic was flaring up now which scared the time wizard a little, if he brought the temple down on their heads, she would make sure he never heard the end of it.

 _ **With Gray and Erza**_

"What the hell is flamebrain planning?! Doesn't he know that we're in the temple too?!" Gray exclaimed as he running up a flight of stairs, searching for Lyon had been tiresome so far and Natsu had already begun to make this place his new playground.

Erza sighed in response "I'm sure that he has a reason."

She knew that much, but she didn't know to what extent. Sure, it was a good way to disrupt the Moon Drip ritual but his readiness to search for Ultear had the Knight worried. He seemed a little too ready in fact.

' _Is he trying to get back with her?'_ her thoughts completely betrayed her focus on the mission. she shook her head, a very common thing that she's been doing these days, especially when it concerns Natsu.

They stopped at a regal looking doorway… well it looked regal for the temple at least. The door was already cracked open so they could both hear someone muttering to themselves inside.

Instantly knowing who the voice belonged to, Gray slammed the door open, revealing Lyon sitting on his throne.

"Well hello Gray, back to take another beating?" the white haired mage smirked, in all fairness he did beat the shit out of Gray last time they fought. Lyon looked behind his former friend and saw the Scarlet-Haired maiden.

"Ah, I see. You've brought help this time because you cannot fight me on your own. You always were the weaker student." Lyon said as he stood up from his chair, unclasping his cloak and removing his helmet."Well? Come on then…"

Gray looked to Erza "I'll handle this prick by myself, make sure that Natsu doesn't collapse the building on us." she was about to object before he gave her a reassuring look. She nodded "Don't do anything stupid Gray, Fairy Tail Wizards don't give up." she said before running back into the depths of the temple to look for Natsu.

' _I hope you're alright Natsu…'_


	13. Galuna Island (6)

**I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Hey, last Chapter of Galuna Island! Sorry about the pacing but I figured that I could get away with it since I'm putting out multiple chapters at once. I'm probably gonna do a Christmas chapter with some NaZa thrown in and then Phantom. That's after this Chapter of course so remember; it might be a bit before you guys see another update. Sorry about the long stretch though, honestly this chapter was a pain in the ass at sometimes, but I'd like to think that I pulled it off.**

 **For the record there will be no love triangles, Natsu and Ultear ain't getting back together, and Erza doesn't love Jellal anymore (if she did in the first place, my money is on childhood crush). At least there won't be love triangles in the sense where one person is conflicted between two people, one-sided love is completely different.**

 **Also here are the character ages just to clarify:**

 **Natsu - 21 (biologically)**

 **Erza - 19**

 **Mira - 19**

 **Gray - 18**

 **Wendy - 14 (biologically)**

 **Happy - 7 (Human Years), I don't even know if Exceed years are a thing.**

 **Lucy - 18 (She's gonna be in the next several Arcs because plot, she's still not on Team Natsu though)**

 **Ultear - 19**

 **Anyway, let's get to it!**

 _ **Temple of the Moon - Throne Room**_

"You seem awfully confident." Lyon pointed out while staring down his opponent.

"You were right when you said that I'm responsible for what happened to Ur, you ain't no saint either. You hurt the villagers and my friends, and that is something I cannot forgive." Gray replied, anger clearly spread across his face. He took the stance that his master taught him when using Ice Make Magic.

' _I can't use Iced Shell, Erza's gonna kick my ass if I use it! I can't run away from my past any longer,'_

His thought process was interrupted as he felt the temple straightening, the floor rumbled beneath him. He looked over to see Lyon laughing.

"It seems my ally has restored the temple. I guess I just have to finish you off then!" Lyon laughed.

"Lyon, Ur is still alive."

"If you are referring to the Shell itself, then I must inform you, you are a bigger fool than I thought if you think that she is still alive."

The shock on Gray's face was apparent, it then contorted into anger, "Wait! So you knew that the Ice was her all along?!". He was barely keeping his rage under control.

"And what of it? It's not like-" Lyon was cut off as Gray threw a punch to his face, sending him flying into a wall.

After his shock subsided, Lyon wiped his cheek, drawing blood from the hit that was given to him by Gray. He chuckled, "As much as I would like to finish you off, I have to fight Deliora soon, and I'd prefer to not waste my magical energy on you." he said while grinning madly.

"I guess we'll just use our fists then," Gray said, he charged forward to land another attack on Lyon, but the other Ice Mage caught on and kicked him in his side.

Gray gasped out in pain while Lyon continued laughing "Ur taught us to exploit our enemies weaknesses, I'm surprised that you don't remember that." Gray growled as he stood back up, "You don't have the right to speak her name!" he yelled, attempting to hit Lyon in his gut, but was punched in the face this time.

"My my, your fists are as weak as your magic." Lyon stated.

Gray ignored his comment, "You know, this reminds me of what I'd used to do years ago."

*Flashback (5 years ago)*

" _Get up,"_

 _Gray was lying on the ground, the sand beneath him grating his back, he groaned inwardly and outwardly. This pink haired kid standing above him was a complete monster._

" _I said get up," Natsu said again, his tone was the same he used against Erza and Mira on his first day. The Dragonslayer himself was in perfect condition, not a scratch on him._

" _How… are you this powerful?" Gray groaned again as he tried to stand up on shaky legs. He swore they were about to give out at any moment._

 _It had been another day where Natsu had been challenged to a fight by the young Ice Make Wizard, but the Dragonslayer was intent on teaching him the same lesson that he taught the girls just a few years ago. The S-Class trials were coming up and Gray needed to know if he could best his fellow S-Class participant._

 _Well, Gray wasn't exactly a participant that is… as much as he thought he should have been._

 _The four contestants for this year's trial were Natsu, Erza, Mira, and Cana. All of them had recognized the hole in the rules, but none of them were faster than Mira, who had instantly latched onto Natsu._

 _Erza tried to hide the fact that she was sad, but her anger at the She-Demon had flared up instead, and Cana was sad anyways, she was always sad this time of year for some reason._

 _Gray himself was fine with what happened, he would pair up with Erza and beat that stupid flamebrain once and for all. He wasn't as tough as Gildarts made him out to be, and he didn't look it either._

 _Gray was about to go offer his help to the young Titania, who was sitting by herself at a table in a corner of the guild, he couldn't understand why she was so down about the fire punk, he was there right?_

 _He stopped right in his tracks when he saw said Dragonslayer walking up to her, Gray clenched his fists when he saw Erza stop poking her cake and perk up at the sight of the Dragonslayer, her cheeks turning pink. The reason for her blushing actually made him angry._

 _He couldn't make out their words but he almost punched a wall when he saw the Scarlet-haired girl fly into Natsu's arms when he was finished speaking. He saw the two walk out of the guild together, barely trying to contain his rage. He noticed Mira sitting at a table with Cana, she also saw Natsu and Erza leave for training and looked like she was going to break the table with her fist alone._

 _It was the next day that Gray had challenged Natsu to a duel. If he won, then he would be Erza's partner, but if Natsu won, then Gray would man the bar for a week. I know, it's a surprise but even Natsu could be merciful at times._

 _And here were those two now; With Natsu swatting Gray back and forth, not being intent on giving up his partnership to Erza._

" _The point of having power isn't just to make things easier to explode. You have to have a reason to obtain said power, and that reason is something that you have to find out all on your own." the Dragonslayer replied curtly._

 _Gray was just on the edge of consciousness when he heard Natsu speak up again, "What are you doing? Don't tell me that Erza's worth that much to you?" his eyes shot open when he heard the jab, he stood up despite his body protesting him. He swung his arm wildly at the Dragonslayer, but Natsu just sidestepped and pushed him lightly._

 _The Ice Wizard fell back onto the ground with a loud groan, he couldn't move now, his arms and legs wouldn't even respond to him. As his eyes closed, he felt himself being lifted into the air._

" _Your time will come Gray, you need to focus on bettering yourself so you can help others later on." Natsu said while chuckling, he walked back to the guild with a past out Gray on his shoulder. He busted open the front doors, heads turning at the Ice Mage on his shoulder, Erza walked alongside him._

" _What did he do this time?" she sweatdropped as they went into the infirmary and laid him down on a bed. He smiled and laughed, "Something about his undying love for you," he teased, making her blush._

 _She ignored his teasing however "Hopefully he'll be fine when we attempt the Exam."_

 _He laughed again, "You mean when we totally ace it?! Hell yeah!" he roared his head back and shot out some flames from his mouth, deepening her blush to a dark red as she giggled._

 _They both turned around and began walking out of the infirmary, Erza tucking her hair behind her ears as she looked at Natsu, who was still spouting fire from his mouth. "How about when we're finished training, I take you out to get some cake?" he asked calmly, not realizing what he was asking at the moment._

 _His whole outlook on that would change in the next year though._

" _R-R-Really N-Natsu?" she stammered out, the difference in colour between her hair and her face was non-existent now._

 _He frowned, "You ok Erza? Your face is red, you have a fever or something?" he asked as he leaned his head down to match her eyes in height, studying her scarlet face._

" _I-I'm fine!" she squeaked out, she began walking briskly ahead of him, "Now let's get to work! That trial isn't going to beat itself!" she stuttered while fanning her face._

" _The hell… girls are weird…" He got out before he shrugged and followed her._

 _*_ Flashback end*

"I used to throw myself at him everyday, just because he was closer to woman I love than I was. He was better in every way than I was, he was more powerful, he was faster, stronger." Gray said slumped up against a wall, slowly sliding himself up.

"Does this pitiful story have a point to it?" Lyon asked boredly.

"Yeah," Gray said, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he now stood up across from Lyon. "You punch like a little bitch." he laughed.

Lyon's smirk died into a glare, he broke into a sprint towards Gray, who also sprinted at Lyon. They threw punches and kicks at each other until Gray put him into the ground, leaving Lyon a groaning mess.

"Your gonna have to do better than that Lyon, I've felt worse than the love taps you gave me."

"Me, the Cold Emperor, beaten by the likes of you… unacceptable!" Lyon spat out.

"Then how about you get over here and fight?" Gray's question was more of a statement.

Lyon gritted his teeth and stuck out his left arm towards his former friend, a magic circle appearing on his hand.

"ICE MAKE: SNOW DRAGON!"

Despite being hit by the same attack earlier, Gray wasn't ready for it again. The dragon seized Gray's sides with its jaws, entering his wounds again and shedding more blood. He landed back onto the ground, groaning and clutching his sides.

"I thought we agreed to not use magic Lyon!" The Ice Mage growled out, he got back up easier than he had before though, his rage boiling inside him.

"Don't be a sore loser, we both know that my magic is superior to yours!" Lyon began, his magic rising, "Any minute now, Zalty will complete the Moon Drip ritual and Deliora will be free, I will surpass Ur finally!"

"You won't be better than Ur! Not in a hundred years!" Gray yelled as he summoned an ice sword and rushed Lyon, actually fast enough that the other Ice Wizard wasn't able to move in time.

He was surprised when the hit landed, but was more shocked when Lyon shattered into Ice upon contact.

"Fooled you didn't I?" a voice behind said.

"ICE MAKE: SNOW TIGER!"

The beast behind Gray lunged at him, its jaws opening to finish him off. But unlike with the Dragon, Gray was faster this time.

"ICE MAKE: PRISON!"

A cage instantly appeared on top of the snow tiger, Gray was on the cage, grinning. "This is what you are Lyon, an animal trapped in a cage lashing out at a world he barely understands!"

"Idiotic, I shall make quick work of that useless spell!"

Lyon was flicking his wrist back and forth, the tiger inside of the cage trying to get out, but the cage was remaining tall and proud.

Gray noticed this, "One-handed spellcasting is unreliable, your creations will fail you when you need them the most. Ur taught us that!"

Gray jumped down in front of Lyon, a swirl of magical energy forming in his hands.

"ICE MAKE: CANNON!"

"AAAAHHHHH!" Lyon screamed as the approaching blast of energy hit him square on. An explosion shook the floor they were on, a sharp blue light could be seen on the outside.

When the dust cleared, Lyon was barely standing, his legs shaking from the hit he'd just recieved. He fell to his knees, falling into unconsciousness "Gray…" he muttered before going to sleep.

Gray grinned at his victory before clutching his side again suddenly, "Damn I should have closed up this wound a while ago." he said while covering the various marks and slashes with Ice.

" **WRRRRRRRAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!"**

The demon's roar shook the temple, literally even, as the walls cracked just from the quaking alone, it was as if Natsu was stomping throughout the temple.

"Dammit Natsu, I hope you know what your doing…" Gray muttered before walking out of the Throne Room and down the hallway that he had come from earlier.

 _ **With Natsu**_

"I thought you said that it was dead!?" Ultear screamed, her newfound anger directed at the now embarrassed Dragonslayer who was scratching the back of his head. "Hehe, I said that it might be dead…" he made a fake smile which didn't work on the Time Wizard.

The Ice that was on Deliora was now fully melted, and despite her supposed hatred for the woman, Ultear was shedding tears, which didn't go unnoticed by Natsu.

"Natsu!"

They both turned towards to the owner of the voice, however only Ultear saw the red flowing hair and armor that accompanied it. The glare that also came with it was directed at her. Natsu didn't see Erza because he still standing in the water below them, right next to the demon's feet.

"You!" Erza exclaimed, pointing at the Councilwoman. "What have you done with Natsu?!"

Ultear was about to reply when she was cut off by said Wizard "I'm down here Erza, don't kill Ultear please." he answered calmly.

Erza sighed in relief but never took her eyes off of Ultear, she moved towards the Time Wizard, who was shaking slightly from the fear of both the Demon behind her, and the Knight in front of her.

Natsu looked up and smiled at both women before opening his mouth again "Erza, Ultear, I'm gonna need you two to keep Deliora busy while I do my magic down here." he said as he looked back down at the water, his Crash Magic switching forms.

"You still haven't explained what you're doing!" Ultear exclaimed, almost throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. Even talking with Natsu at some points was exhausting sometimes… well most of the time.

"Just do what I say!" he yelled back, his own frustration beginning to grow on his face. He was focusing his Reassembly Magic and dealing with two women at the same time. ' _If I keep getting interrupted then I might not be able to pull this thing off!'_

Right on time he heard Erza open her mouth to begin speaking, his hand shot up in response which surprised the Knight. "Less talking, more stabbing Erza!" he yelled, not even looking up this time as he was concentrating.

Erza sighed and looked at Ultear who nodded her head meekly in understanding, briefly forgetting about the awakened Demon, instead both women ready to smack the Dragonslayer upside the head.

" **WRRRRRRAAAAAAAGGHHH!"**

Erza and Ultear remembered the now free Deliora in the room, the red-headed Knight looked to the Time Wizard. "We might not be able to see eye-to-eye, but for now, we might just need that."

Ultear nodded in agreement, "Agreed." she said simply, a small smile gracing her face. She might be able to get somewhere after all, and if it meant that she'd gain trust slowly, then she'd take what she'd get.

As the two females prepared for their fight against the Demon, Natsu grinned. He looked back to his process and began working. ' _This might take a bit, Gildarts didn't really elaborate on this part too… damn perv was checking out those beach models.'_

He shook his head as his thoughts of the day plagued his head, ' _Ok maybe I was checking them out too, but it's his fault that he didn't finish the lesson!'_ He almost slapped himself, instead deciding to do it mentally, ' _Focus Natsu, focus! You have an Ice Make Wizard to put back together, yeah it might help Ultear and Gray, but there's also the prank on Gildarts. Man I should probably expect another match with him when we get back…'_

"REQUIP: HEAVEN'S WHEEL ARMOR!"

"ARC OF TIME: FLASH FORWARD!"

Deliora flexed one of its arms and swung it onto the ridge that the two girls were on, slamming its closed fist onto the ground they were standing on. Ultear swiftly dodged its fist while Erza flew out of the way with her wings, she then began requiping her swords in the air.

"BLUMENBLATT!"

" **WRRRRRRRAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!"**

Erza's swords sunk into Deliora's chest, creating cracks throughout its upper body. This didn't go unnoticed by either Wizards, Ultear even raised an eyebrow. ' _Natsu was right…'_ She decided to finish her thoughts later as she followed up Erza's attack with one of her own.

"INFINITE SPHERE!"

The green orb that Ultear was using flew into Deliora's chest, where the damage Erza had previously dealt on the demon was before, causing even greater pain for the half-dead demon. The single orb was then followed up by multiple other orbs slamming and piercing Deliora from all around its body. More cracks began to appear, each of them connecting with each other.

From down below in the small lake that inhabited the cavern they in, Natsu initially smirked at the damage that was being dealt to the demon, but his smirk then turned to that of genuine shock and worry. ' _What is it with me and beautiful, scary, and dangerous women?'_ he shivered as he continued with his current objective.

His hand glowed a bright white, similar glowing lines went up his arms as he began to use both. He closed his eyes and focused, one mistake with this magic could cost him his goal, and maybe even his arms.

What's the worst that could happen!

His process had begun to sting his arms, to anybody else it felt like thousands of bottles were being broken on their arms, but due to his intense training with Gildarts beforehand, the pain felt like bee stings in comparison.

He turned his hands upwards as if he was carrying a woman, like he has done many times before. Sure enough, the water swirled into his arms in the shape of a woman, albeit one who was missing her right leg.

The water kept stopping momentarily now and again as the process was slow itself, other thoughts threatened to enter his mind but he warded them off, determined to put Ur Milkovich back together.

"Oh no you don't… you ain't going anywhere, I got the perfect prank planned for that ginger bastard and I ain't about to let you get away…" he said quietly, sort of praying and threatening the water at the same time.

The limbs that were already reformed by the water began glowing brightly, but Natsu could see flesh forming where the water was, the missing limb that she apparently didn't have was suddenly replaced by a new one.

Natsu raised an eyebrow as his magic was working too well, but if that was what he was gonna get, then he's gonna take it. He shrugged and continued onwards, he was almost there as he could feel the stinging subside.

The light became blinding even to him, and he closed his eyes in response. He felt the weight of the woman in his arms as he could tell that she was fully formed, despite being an Ice Mage, he could feel the body warmth flow back into her body.

The light died down, as well as his magic. The lines that were once on his arms and body ceased, but he didn't care, he could feel the woman stir in his arms and that was enough to open his eyes.

Of course when he did, he had to reign in his Draconic Instincts as in his arms was Ur Milkovich, naked as the day she was born. He looked upon her naked breasts and blushed, if Erza were next to him, or god forbid Ultear, he might have been dead for real. He actually didn't notice the half-awake woman in his arms.

"Like what you see?" Ur asked tiredly, waking up after being an Ice Cube probably makes you want to take another nap I guess. Even so, it didn't prevent Ur from her flirting habits, especially when she's the arms of a man like Natsu.

Natsu, having experience with these kinds of things, recovered quickly. "You don't even know the half of it…" he said still ogling the massive knockers in front of him, he could definitely see why and how Ultear turned out the way she looked.

Natsu completely forgot about the situation that was going on above him and hadn't even noticed Deliora's scream from earlier and the now prominent shards of the Demon that were now on the floor in the body of water that he reassembled Ur in.

He was too focused on the gorgeous woman in his arms to notice that Gray and Mira's group had entered the cavern now, and he certainly hadn't noticed them all looking down at the sight of him holding the supposedly dead Ice Make Wizard in his arms.

Various reactions spread throughout the group standing above the two, Lucy and Wendy sweatdropped, Natsu had found another woman to rescue and it was only a matter of time until she was in his palm.

Gray might has well have been made of ice, his master who he thought was dead was now alive again, her leg restored. He originally had set out to the Island with the intention of getting Erza's attention and showing up Natsu, but he faced his past and came out stronger than he was before. He thanked Natsu inwardly, the main idea never to tell him that though.

However, there were three women who could only glare at the sight of Ur and Natsu. All three women had strong feelings for the Dragonslayer, but now they were angry for various reasons.

Ultear was angry as Natsu was ogling her mother's breasts, and to make it worse, her mother was allowing it! Mira was muttering to herself violently about how she should have done that in the first place, and Erza was angry at Natsu for doing something so indecent, while trying not to admit to herself that she was slightly jealous of the 'older' Milkovich.

All of this was seen by Happy, who gave Natsu a salut in goodbye, the Dragonslayer wouldn't be hearing the end of this one.

It was a couple of seconds before Natsu gently put Ur on her feet, the latter stumbling while Natsu had to catch her again due to her now recovered foot. Natsu snickered "Here we are again huh?", making her laugh dryly in response as well as a blush spreading on her cheeks.

"We can be here as long as you want, pinky…" she teased back, not hearing the growls that came from above. He chuckled at her response, unlike her, he was now aware of the wolves that had gathered above, most likely to tear him apart. "You're gonna have to buy me dinner first." he said putting her back on her feet, her making sure to throw out her biggest pout.

"Here," he said as calmly as he could, taking off his cloak and wrapping it around Ur as a mock dress, covering up her bust while also trying to make sure he didn't touch her. One touch and he might not be able to control himself, and he was pretty sure that the woman herself was willing.

Ur smiled seductively as she felt something poke her back, she turned and winked at him. "Oooooh, excited are we? Maybe we won't even need dinner…." she cooed, making him groan in response as she brushed his crotch with her ass. ' _This woman isn't making things any easier… she and her daughter are one and the same!'_

He decided to pipe up before he ravished the woman in front of him, "Look, as much as I'd like to… I'm pretty sure that there are a few others who might want to talk to you first." he said loud enough as to attempt to spare himself from the three angry women above.

It wouldn't save him though.

Ur looked up to the crowd on the ridge above and blushed, she was being heard by everyone there. She giggled into her hand, making Natsu chuckle too, it was cute enough to make him forget the current situation at hand.

Her giggling ceased when she saw Gray, she smiled softly upon the sight of his shocked expression. Her face scanned the various faces that were above her, but one stuck out to her, the dark, purple haired woman. She looked oddly familiar, it's almost as if…

"Mom…"

"Ultear…"

They both stared at each other wide eyed for a few moments before Ur began running up the hill towards them, ignoring the jagged rocks and pebbles that stabbed at her feet while Ultear was running down the hill towards her mother.

Despite having just woken up for the first time in ten years, Ur had enough strength to tackle her daughter to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes (Hehe oops…). "My… my baby girl… she's come back to me…" the mother cried on her daughter's shoulders.

Ultear was also shedding tears of her own, although not muttering anything. Her mother's words and actions were enough to tell her a different story altogether. Her mother never abandoned her, she laughed inwardly as Natsu was right as always. She guessed she could forgive him for flirting with her mother this once.

Natsu himself let them to have their moment, they deserved it after all. After a few minutes he walked up to the two who were still locked in a hug, tapping on Ur's shoulder since she was on top. "As much as I would like you two to stay this way, I have a prank to play on Gildarts so we might as well be getting off this damn Island."

The two Milkovich's broke off from their hug, both of them wiping their faces but Ur turning to face Natsu with a grin on her face. "Oh yes I heard about that earlier, but I'm actually more interested in the hunk in front of me…" she said seductively, her fingers finding their way to his sculpted chest.

"Mother!" Ultear almost shouted, a blush plastered on her face as she was witnessing her mother throwing herself at her ex.

Ur and Natsu laughed, the former still moving her fingers along the latter's chest. "What? Can I not show my interest in my saviour?"

Ultear, Mira, and even Erza silently cursed Ur, they seethed at the sight of Ur's hand still caressing Natsu's bare chest. "Damn that woman…" Mira and Erza muttered angrily at the same time.

Natsu grinned before taking Ur's hand off of his his chest, making her pout. "I think your daughter is embarrassed that her mother is fawning over her ex." he laughed after he pointed that out, Ur and Ultear blushed at his blatant statement.

For Gray, this was all kinds of confusing. First his Master came back from being a giant ice cube, and then now her daughter was standing right in front of him as well, and Natsu had supposedly dated her too. The only thing that could be worse in his mind that could happen would be Natsu getting it on with Ur…

Of course Natsu knew this…

"Of course I would like to add that I'm currently single," he gave a shit eating grin to the Ice Make Wizard, making her raise an eyebrow in response. She leaned up to him and kissed him on the cheek, making the girls behind them seeth even more.

"Natsu…" the three of them growled at the Dragonslayer, he actually began worrying inwardly. He might not be alive to make good on his promise to Mystogan after this job.

Wendy, Lucy, and Happy decided not to pipe up now. Even though they were curious as well, they were more preoccupied with the three bombs that were about to go off.

Natsu decided that he might want to get a head start on getting out of the temple they were in, he began walking back to the entrance. "Well, I think we should probably get back to that village, right? We got to punish Gray and Lucy after all…" he completely ignored the glares he got from Ultear, Mira, and Erza while he walked up the stairs, Wendy and Happy following behind.

Ur looked at her daughter and chuckled, "I hope you don't mind dear, I haven't been with a man since I had you after all!" she laughed softly and walked after the Dragonslayer. Ultear quickly followed and began bickering with her mother while also catching up with her, leaving Erza, Mira, Lucy, and Gray behind.

Gray stood there slack jawed with Lucy who held the same expression. Erza and Mira stood with tick marks on their heads, angry at both Milkovich's and also angry at Natsu for being… well, for being Natsu I guess.

Erza was the first to recover, her anger still being present made her look even scarier. "We should be heading back to the villagers, however…" she paused, looking at Gray and Lucy with her glare now. "You both shall be punished. Severely."

The Knight began marching off, leaving a scared Gray and Lucy hugging each other in fear. "B-But what about Wendy?!" Gray chattered through his teeth, Erza turned around, a faint smirk on her face.

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you are talking about, Gray."

Erza left them there with Mira, who's own smirk adjoined her face. "You two are screwed." the She-Demon said, she was laughing evilly as she walked up the stairs back to the main level of the temple.

Gray shivered. "Aww man… I hope we don't get _THAT_ ,"

Lucy looked over. "What's _THAT_?"

"You don't want to know…"

 _ **Back at the Villager's Campsite**_

Natsu scratched the back of his head.

Aside from angering the three most prominent women in his life, he also blew up the village that the job contractors had lived in. This was usually why he didn't bother with normal S-Class requests and went for the big stuff instead.

"Oops?" he gave a half smile at the Village Elder. Luckily they understood considering that he had saved them from the Acid Jelly, but a certain red-headed Knight hadn't seen it that way.

"Oops?! Is that all you have to say Natsu?! You blew up their village, their place of living and home!"

"Well in my defence, I've never been that great at containing my magic when in a fight, soooo…"

Erza opened her mouth in response but shut it after failing to form a response, she was still angry at Natsu for flirting with Ur earlier back in the temple.

Speaking of the older Milkovich, she had obtained a set of clothes from Erza and had went off with Gray and had found Lyon, it seems he needed a talking to.

Happy had stayed with Wendy, his punishment had already begun and he was crying about not being able to have fish for a week. Wendy was grateful for not being punished and kept quiet for the rest of the evening, not wanting to aggravate Erza or Mira. Lucy stayed with them too, although her situation was different as she was tied up.

Yuka, Sherry, and Toby had shown up late to the victory party, still believing that the two sides were fighting. Mira had went to see them off though, god help their souls.

Natsu was still in thought as he hadn't noticed Ultear walk out of the forest near the Encampment, a smile gracing her face. "Natsu, come with me." she said, walking up to the Knight and the Dragonslayer.

Natsu shrugged and stood up, but he was stopped by a gauntleted hand on his shoulder. "What do you think you are doing with him?" Erza asked sternly, a hardened stare focused on the time wizard.

"Nothing dangerous I assure you…" she replied curtly, she then winked at the Dragonslayer, making Erza twitch her eyebrows in annoyance. Natsu smiled softly at the Knight, putting his hand on hers. "Don't worry, I'll be back in a bit."

Somehow this relaxed her, but her look remained hardened. "You will not be doing anything indecent. Do so and you will be punished!" she almost choked on her words, but she managed to keep herself serious. Her mind began to think of Natsu and Ultear, secluded in the forest, him ripping off her kimono and…

She shook her head, blood rushing to her face. Natsu laughed and put his hands on her shoulders. "I don't intend to anything like that Erza, you should really focus on your poker face you know." he said, removing his hands from the Knight's shoulders and began walking towards a smirking Ultear.

Erza could only frown at the retreating form of the Dragonslayer. Even though she had those thoughts in her head, those indecent thoughts, she wished they would never come to be. She hoped that the Dragonslayer would decline Ultear's advances, it was clear from the limited interactions that they've shared that the time wizard still had feelings for Natsu.

But Natsu himself… he wouldn't decline her would he? He hadn't refused the kiss they shared outside of Era's Fiore Branch, why would he refuse her now, surely she was luring him out with that objective in mind right?

For years she had been denying her feelings for the Dragonslayer, passing them off as some innocent childhood crush, like she had with Jellal…

But with Natsu… Whenever he entered the room, he just made her melt. Her heart beated faster, her composure failed her, she felt weak around him. She could never feel this way around anyone due to her current predicament, her childhood friends needed to be saved, she couldn't fail them now because of what she suspected was love.

Love…

A very foreign concept to her, she'd never felt it before. What it was like to be in love, what it was like to have someone love her back. She could read all of the smut novels she could find, and she wouldn't be any closer to knowing what it feels like.

"Hey Erza…"

She looked up, Natsu standing in front of her. A smile graced his face, not one of his classic grins or his goofy laughs, but a simple, caring, loving smile. One that she gladly returned.

"Yes Natsu?" she asked, her voice squeaked a bit at Natsu's sudden appearance, but she cleared her throat and recovered.

He laughed lightly, his perfect smile and laugh turning her world upside down. "You worry too much Erza, I'll be back before you know it." he reassured her again, ruffling her hair before walking back to a waiting Ultear.

She blushed at his action of treating her like a child, she loved every single interaction she had with that man. She never quite knew how he did it, but he always made her smile.

 _ **With Natsu and Ultear**_

The two wizards had been walking in a comfortable silence for the past ten minutes, neither of them speaking a word since they had set out from the Villager's Camp. It was starting to get on a certain Dragonslayer's nerves though, inaction was something he despised.

She stopped before shooting the Dragonslayer a troubled glance. "Natsu… There is a matter that concerns Erza and one of my colleagues, Siegrain."

Natsu's smile died instantly as soon as he heard the mention of the blue haired Wizard Saint. "Jellal…" the Dragonslayer growled, clenching his fist. Ultear looked confused at his knowledge of her fellow Councilman's true identity. "How do you know about Jellal?" she asked, a mixture of dread and curiosity formed on her face.

"Let's just say that a friend of mine knows a lot of things." he replied calmly. He didn't want to lie to Ultear, but revealing Mystogan wouldn't be ideal, that guy had enough on his plate as is and two Jellal's running around out in the open would be a nightmare.

' _I wonder which one would win in a fight actually, Misty ain't no pushover but Jellal is a Wizard Saint… Damn shame I won't be seeing him for a bit though, Misty's pretty fun to hang out with once you get to know him.'_ he thought to himself, slumping his shoulders in disappointment at how he'd never get to see both blue haired look-alikes duke it out in front of him.

"Are you involved as well?" he asked blankly, his eyes narrowed slightly when she looked at the ground, the dread from earlier explaining itself.

"I've caused Erza so much pain… how do I atone for that?" she began mumbling, her clenched fists shaking. She felt passion filled warmth spread throughout her as a hand found its way to her shoulder. "You don't have to explain it now, we'll cross that bridge when we need to. The only way you can atone is to fix your mistake." he said smiling, making her mood lighten.

They continued walking in silence, albeit a comfortable one. "Why else did you drag me out here Ultear?" he asked blatantly, the silence finally breaking between the two.

"I simply wanted to show my appreciation for you bringing back my mother."

"And that would be…"

"You'll have to wait and see, my dear Dragon…" she finished, licking her lips and actually making him slightly nervous and just a little bit turned on.

Another long silence lead until they reached the village. A large crater consumed one half of where it stood, Natsu laughed nervously, making Ultear giggle.

She turned to him, a smirk that crossed between evil and seductive directed at the Dragonslayer. "As a thank you, I shall relieve you of this burden." she said, then turning back to the sight of destruction, her orb appearing and her magic flaring up.

"ARC OF TIME: RESET!"

Various chunks of rock and rivers of dirt flowed back into the crater, completely refilling the large indent that Natsu had caused. Once that was done, Ultear's efforts were focused on the half of the village that was blown up as well, houses and the wall resetting and forming back together.

Once she was done, Ultear wiped her forehead, a few beads of sweat had formed during her casting of the spell. She turned back to an astonished Natsu, who had a grin spread on his face.

"Wow… Thanks Ultear, I-" he began, but he didn't get far as he felt his lips being smashed by hers, her arms wrapped around his neck, but his hands didn't venture to her waist like she had wanted.

She broke off from the kiss and frowned, maybe he was just stunned was all. "What is it Natsu?" she asked somewhat sweetly, her tone however not being one of innocence.

The Dragonslayer sighed, he had to break it to her eventually, and now was the time. "Ultear, you know what I implied back at the temple. I don't plan to get back with you." his grin was now replaced by a look of sorrow. The time wizard unwrapped her arms slowly, her own expression turning to that of sadness.

"So… you don't love me…" she said quietly, her hair now covering her eyes.

"No," he replied simply. Going about this simply was probably the best way to go, and he was currently walking through a minefield.

Tears fell down her cheeks, but she refused to meet his eyes with her own. He wiped her cheeks with his thumb and lifted up her chin. "But that doesn't mean I won't ever forget what we had. I've done all I could for you, and now you have your mother back."

"But… I...I need you, Natsu. " she trailed off. She was trying to not break down in front of the Dragonslayer. She tried her best not to choke up, her next words somehow came out clear. "I love you."

Natsu sighed, his eyes cast downcast upon the dark haired beauty in front of him, he had wanted to avoid making her distraught, but ultimately he knew this conversation was going to happen. "Ultear…" he began softly, taking her hands in his. "I brought back your mother because I wanted to help you, to save you…"

"But I can't return your feelings. As much as it pains me to say, I've moved on. I know it sucks to have this happen to you again…" he trailed off, now he was struggling to form words. Just because he didn't love her anymore didn't mean that he didn't care for her, or that he would stop caring for her at all.

An uncomfortable silence followed, but Natsu was able to recognize the tears streaming down her face. His face hardened in anger towards himself, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, making her feel warmth spread throughout her body.

Despite being on the verge of breaking down, Ultear accepted the hug in response, crying into his chest uncontrollably. He began running his hand down her head and hair, his attempts at comforting her were successful as she quieted down.

They stood there for a few minutes, the Dragonslayer holding the heartbroken time wizard. He hated himself for doing this to her, but it would have been worse if he hadn't, he couldn't be with her if he didn't love her.

Ultear finally looked up, still in his embrace, her tears dried and stained on her face. "Who's the lucky girl?" she chuckled lightly, it had to have been another woman. She might have been jealous, sure. But she was also curious to know who had claimed the Dragonslayer's heart.

Natsu was taken aback by her question, he hadn't planned on her wanting to know who he is currently enamored with. "Uhhhhh…." he began, a blush showing itself on his cheeks. "I guess you can say that I've always liked red-heads."

Ultear laughed softly again, wiping her eyes in the process. "I guess I should have expected that, I thought you were trying to get both of them." she said thoughtfully, a small smile making its way to her face.

He sighed in embarrassment. Yeah Mira was attractive and all, but she was too forward for his tastes. Natsu always had relished the challenge of wooing a woman, it provided a fair game for both parties involved, that was one of the reasons why he had gotten with Ultear after all.

That wasn't to say that he thought Mira was easy, but sometimes he was off put by how in his face she was. She's a great woman, he knew that for sure, but she wasn't his type.

But Erza…

He just loved teasing Erza, he didn't know why her specifically but it just seemed natural to him. Whenever she entered the room or smelled her scent, he felt his core heat up, which he considered strange when concerning his magic. He was familiar with love, but he felt this was different. He couldn't quite place why though, maybe it's because he's known her longer?

He didn't quite know why he found her red hair to be fascinating, but he'd always want to tangle his fingers in it, just to annoy the Scarlet Knight. It was kind of like how she'd used to fondle his hair before he trained to fight off his motion sickness during jobs that would involve transportation.

But maybe his habit for teasing Erza came from something else, even he himself couldn't deny that. Whenever Gildarts teased him about it he gave the Crash Mage a good knock on head. That damn smile of hers, it always made him forget everything that's wrong with the world, making him a star struck fool, which he would never usually consider himself.

He was taken out of his thoughts when he saw Ultear smile sweetly up at him, his face gaining a confused look from her expression. "Well, Erza is a lucky girl then if she has such a handsome Dragon looking after her!"

He gave her a smile in return, although he knew that she was now attempting to hide her pain. The Dragonslayer also gave off a blush when the Time Wizard mentioned the Knight, obviously he had said too much and it was only a matter of time until he was teased about it.

"I'm sure you can salvage a few things too right? You can bring that girl too, what's her name? Mardy? Mereby?" he said lightheartedly, wanting to cheer up the sad woman by moving the conversation to Ultear's adopted daughter.

His statement made her smile brighten, but she giggled at his failed attempts to recall her daughter's name. "It's Meredy, idiot." she giggled out, lightly smacking him on the head. He rolled his eyes and looked to the side, but felt a soft hand grip his chin, pulling him into another kiss with the dark haired woman.

The kiss felt better than any of the ones they've shared before, he could feel the passion and love behind it that she emitted, although it saddened her that it was going to be their last. They both separated slowly from each other, Natsu being confused and Ultear with a sad smile. "What was that for?" he asked confused.

"Something to remember me by, Dragon boy." she giggled out, pausing again before leaning up to his ear. "I'll be there if Erza doesn't work out though," she whispered before unwrapping her arms from his neck and strutting away back to the camp.

He chuckled lightly as he watched her sway her hips for him, she's still a beautiful woman and making men oogle her was one of Ultear's specialties, especially when it came to Natsu. "And you better not try anything on my mother, Natsu." she added somewhat harshley as she continued her stride.

He looked back out at the now undamaged village, grinning away like an idiot. He would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to ravish Ur on the spot when he had been holding her, but he figured that would make things way more complicated than they needed to be.

His mind ventured to the girl he had been thinking about the most recently. ' _Thank god that Gildarts taught me the value of teasing women, otherwise I'd just get flustered all the damn time with them.'_ He chuckled lightly before heading back to the camp as well, a good night's rest was something to look forward too.

' _Erza…'_

Little did he know that the red headed Knight herself was thinking about him at that same instant, beaming when she saw him exit the forest next to the camp. She giggled when he began grumbling about not having a drink and since everyone seemed to be gathered back at the camp, he gave Gray a knock on the head, putting the Ice Mage to sleep for the rest of the night.

The curse that had the villagers looking like Demons simply turned out to be a fluke. Their memories had been disoriented by the Moon Drip and the purple moon glow was shattered after Erza had thrown her Giant's Spear towards the moon at Natsu's request, fixing the villager's memories and finishing the job proper.

The next day, the very large group of wizards, even Ultear came along with them back to Fairy Tail. Natsu would see the smile on her face and he'd grin even wider, she'd gotten her mother back, and despite going through another round of heartbreak, she was grateful to Natsu, even if it meant she'd have to send glances at him and slight jealous looks at Erza.

"Everything's back on track it seems," the Dragonslayer said to himself, laying down on a bench near the bow of the ship that was taking them all back to Hargeon. He'd probably have to eat those words in the next few months though.


	14. A Fairy Tail Christmas

**I** **do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.**

 **Hello there my lords and ladies, I am back!**

 **Obviously the main question for January was; "Where's that titfucker! I'm gonna strangle him dammit!"**

 **Here's the answer!**

 **Exams happened.**

 **The only one that caught me but surprise was my Science Exam ok? Anything else was fine. Then I got my new classes for the new semester, and me trying to not strangle my teachers during their lectures (I'm kind of a black sheep when it comes to political opinions).**

 **Plus then my Surface Charger stopped working, so I've been typing away on my phone!**

 **Bad luck right?**

 **Anyways, I apologize for the wait, let's get to it.** **Also I know it's not Christmas, but I started this chapter before Christmas happened last year.**

It had been a few months since the Galuna Island incident, the guilty parties involved were punished accordingly by Fairy Tail's resident Knight and She-Demon, although just a little bit more by the latter.

Since then, Fairy Tail had gained a new member in the form of Ur Milkovich, who, to everyone's surprise, had actually been one of Gildarts' exes. Upon the reunion of the two mages, Ur had kicked Gildarts in his family jewels, who then afterwards began a fight with Natsu since the Dragonslayer had brought back the busty Ice Mage just to torture him.

Of course no one had been more terrified than Gray and Ultear, as both of Fairy Tail's Aces had seen Ur in the nude.

On the topic of the time wizard, she had told Master Makarov all of Grimoire Heart's dealings, schemes, etc. Everything that she knew of at the moment. Instead of joining then and there, Ultear had offered to be a spy for Makarov until she could split off from Grimoire Heart with her daughter safely.

Makarov accepted her offer, but she still had one more matter to resolve before leaving however. When she had pulled Erza aside, the Knight was initially confused as to why Ultear had wanted to speak with her. Natsu focused on other things as to keep to himself, but after a few minutes he could see a very angry Erza leave the guildhall. Ultear herself went to say farewell to Natsu, the sharp red imprint of a hand had latched onto her face, it seems that Erza still had her gauntlets on.

Since then, the Dragonslayer had rarely seen the Knight in the guild, despite himself being one of the few members who show up once in a blue moon. But he knew that her withdrawl from the guild hadn't been because of a job or two, but it must have been something to do with what Ultear had told her.

Aside from that matter, Natsu had stayed at the guild along with Gildarts per Makarov's request, tonight would be Christmas Eve, and they were required to stick around for the time honored tradition. And aside from dodging the occasional flirtatious comment from Ur, much to Gray's dismay, it was quite dull without him being able to tease the Knight mercilessly.

And said Wizard in question, was not currently present at the guildhall.

Makarov sighed, looking over to Natsu lazily, "Natsu, find Erza please…" he said tiredly. The Dragonslayer got up from his stool next to his fellow Ace, who began chuckling as Natsu started walking out of the guild.

"Yeah, go find your girlfriend, Natsu…" Gildarts got out in between laughs, unknowingly pissing off Gray who was sitting far away enough to hear their conversation. 'Course the Crash Mage had intended to tick off Natsu originally.

"Shut it Old Man, maybe I oughta hit you as hard as Ur did!" the Dragonslayer exclaimed, making Ur and Makarov raise their eyebrows and laugh. Gildarts could only fluster and rub his family jewels caringly as he remembered the day they had come back. Seeing Ultear with Natsu's group was surprising, but then he saw his ex, and his original idea of going away on another job had sprung back into his mind.

Gildarts muttered something inaudible to the Dragonslayer before going back to his drink, himself still being flustered at being laughed at by Makarov and the woman who had hit him in the first place.

As much as he would've liked to brawl with the Crash Mage again, he had to find Erza and get her to woman up. He didn't know what happened to her that would cause her to seclude herself from the guild, but he needed to get her into proper form, whether she liked it or not.

"I guess I'll be back then, we might have to tie her up so have some rope ready." he said nonchalantly, not noticing his fellow guild members collectively spit out their drinks at his words, nor did he care to notice Gildart's chuckling.

Man, it seems that Natsu was still clueless as to what he was implying.

He didn't care either way. He left the guild feeling tired, during their wait, Cana had challenged him to another drinking contest. He won, although just barely. That damn woman would drink him under the table eventually, even though he couldn't actually get drunk, it was still tiring.

As the Dragonslayer left the guild, a certain Ice Wizard gave him a suspicious yet angry look, scowling at Makarov's choice in retrieving the Knight. He gripped his mug tightly and drank from it, waiting for Natsu to come back with the Knight like he always does.

 **With Natsu**

He walked through Magnolia, the snow piling upon itself as the night descended upon the city. He could see people still running around and getting gifts for their loved ones or walk into bars to simply comfort themselves. He had already gotten gifts for the people in his life, even the stripper too.

Seeing that a few shops were closing, he decided to lessen the burden that would be a moody Titania. He walked into the bakery, the owner looked to be in his mid-forties and had just thrown on his coat and turned off a few of the lights, he noticed the Dragonslayer and sighed. "Sorry kid, store's closed for the night."

Natsu waved his hands in slight protest, his hardened face from before had softened into a grin. "Sorry for the sudden notice, but I am in need of some cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake." he asked, sporting a grin. The baker looked at the Dragonslayer questioningly and then chuckled after a few seconds. "You're from Fairy Tail right? One of the knobheads who causes a shift?" the baker asked, Natsu nodded in kind, his smile widening a little bit after the man's remark.

The shopkeeper scratched the back of his head as he pondered his choices, _'Guess it couldn't hurt to keep the place open for a few more minutes, it is Christmas.'_ he thought. The baker chuckled again, "Sure thing kid, let me get one for you."

Natsu kept his grin as the shopkeeper went into the back of the shop to retrieve the slice of salvation that would save him from the Demon that was known as Erza Scarlet. Yeah, he might be more powerful than her, but there are times when she could scare the shit out of him. Most of the time he could tease her out of her wrath, but she had moments where there wouldn't be a thing in the world that could stop her.

 _'I wonder what could make her so upset?'_ he pondered in his head, usually nothing that he knew of could make the Knight depressed. It seemed so unlike her to just lock herself away from her family, it genuinely confused the Dragonslayer.

It didn't matter either way, whatever her problem was, it was his problem now. And he wasn't going to let anything stop him from helping her.

He sighed to himself as the shopkeeper came out from the back with a cake, a full cake, not a slice but a full cake. The baker looked as if he couldn't care less. "Seeing as it's Christmas, and since you knobheads at Fairy Tail do us all proud. Have this one on the house." he said cheerfully, "Besides, Erza hasn't been here in awhile, mind giving her a slice while your at it?"

Natsu nodded, taking the box that held the cake in his hands. "Thank you, Merry Christmas." he said before leaving the shop, making his way towards Fairy Hills. He honestly didn't know why the men of the guild didn't have their own dorm in Magnolia, but he didn't care in the end.

Even though he didn't live there, that hadn't stopped Erza from showing him around the place, albeit the whole time she was threatening him if he ever did anything indecent. She gave him a complete rundown even though he hadn't been allowed to be there in the first place, much to the amusement of Gildarts and the dismay of pretty much everyone else in the guild.

Once he made it to the building that was known as Fairy Hills, he found the 'hidden' spare key that they kept in one of the beams on the deck. It basically unlocked every room in the building that wasn't a person's room, places like bathrooms, etc. He was pretty sure that they even had a lounge and a kitchen too.

Despite all of it's hospitalities, nobody would be here tonight. ' _At least nobody should be here, they should all be at the guild.'_ he thought to himself, unlocking the front door of the building and walking inside.

"Now where is Erza's room?" he pondered to himself. Figuring that there might be something at the vacant front desk that might have the Knight's room number.

"Aha!" he exclaimed as he pulled up a binder with his empty hand, opening it to reveal a list that many perverts back at the guild would like to see. He took a few glances being a 'gentlemen' himself and also so he could find Erza's room.

 _Cana, 1A. Laki, 1B… damn that's some shit luck for Laki.'_ He frowned when finding that Erza's room wasn't on the first floor, flipping to the next page he found what he was looking for. _'Erza's in 2B I guess.'_

He closed the binder and went to the elegant looking stairs that led up to the second floor, opening another door and walking to his destination and possible demise.

He had to play it safe with this one, teasing Erza when she's angry is a completely different story, but he hadn't seen her be sad enough to actually prepare accordingly for the situation. Hopefully the Strawberry Cheesecake would help him in his darkest hour.

Upon arriving at the mahogany door with the '2B' on it, he sighed. Erza was here alright, his nose gave him that impression when her scent completely filled his nostrils, he could probably see the strawberries and the roses if he was drunk enough. Highly unlikely of that ever happening though, just ask Cana.

Just wanting to get this out of the way, he raised his hand and knocked twice, "Erza? You awake?" he asked sullenly. He could hear shuffled movement coming from inside, signaling to him that she was in fact awake.

"What is it?" she croaked out, her voice sounded dead, even Natsu could hear it through the door. He smiled grimly, "Come on out, we gotta get to the guild. You do know that it's Christmas Eve right?"

There was a long silence between them, it was a few minutes later until she came back with her reply. "I'm sorry Natsu… I… can the guild manage without me this year?" she asked, her voice still carrying the same tone or lack thereof.

"No can do, you know how Gramps is." he said simply, hearing a feminine grunt from behind the door confirmed that.

More silence, he sighed again. "There's Cake in it for you, I got you your favorite."

Calling it her favorite type of Cake was stretching it, it was the only kind of cake that she ate. Her body must have been a wonder if she could eat so much of it, it confused and fascinated Natsu to no end.

He was expecting that to work like a charm, but her door remained closed. On her end when she heard that he brought her cake, she had blushed initially, with her stomach rumbling shortly after. Even though she was hungry, she wasn't in the mood to go to the guild, not after what Ultear had told her about her childhood friends.

Making up her mind, she looked downcast at her floor, "I'm sorry Natsu, not this year." she replied curtly and sullenly. She went to go back to her bedroom when she heard him speak again, "You mind letting me in then instead?"

Surprise took her, she looked around her apartment frantically. Junk and clothes lay about everywhere, making her snap into focus and beginning to clean up her living space. "Just a minute!" She yelled, still frantic while shoving her dirty clothes into a laundry basket.

He smirked when he heard her moving about her apartment, she clearly hadn't expected him to persist in his objective. He must have caught her by surprise when he asked her to let him in.

A few moments later the door opened, revealing a very different Titania than the one he usually saw. Her hair was slightly matted from her neglect to brush it and also from laying down on her bed, she was in her pajamas and a dark gray tank top, her eyes looked slightly red and tired.

He smiled upon seeing her still however, with her returning with a smile of her own in kind, completely entrancing one another. They both stayed silent for a few moments before Erza jolted, gesturing for the Dragonslayer to come inside (No, we ain't there yet). He coughed into his free hand and walked in.

Moving on from the awkward silence, "So… Where do you want this thing to go?" Natsu asked her, his smile making its way back to his face as he held the large cake.

Erza, snapping back to reality from her tired stupor "Oh… uh just put it on the counter, I'll get to it later…" she replied somewhat sweetly, something that Natsu hadn't heard her do before. He faked a smile at her answer and went to the countertop that she pointed at in her small kitchen, placing it down.

He turned around, "You got anything to drink in here?" he asked gruffly, making her giggle lightly.

He gave her the smile that she longed for, the kind that he only showed when they were alone. Despite him grinning like a child whenever they were in the guild, she never saw his loving smile when he was around the others. Pink had dusted her cheeks, she looked away and moved to the couch, playing with her fingers when she sat down.

Natsu followed her to her couch and sat down next to her, "Erza, what's going on?" he sighed, figuring that dragging her back to the guild forcefully wouldn't be ideal. "I haven't seen you since you talked with Ultear, does that have something to do with what's happening?"

Erza looked down at the floor, her unkempt hair covering her eyes. Despite knowing that he'd want to know, this was a topic that she had been wanting to avoid. Natsu was busy all the time with his Decade and Century quests, surely he'd be too bothered to hear her problem, right? But it didn't matter now, she was stuck in a corner. Lying to Natsu would be pointless at this point.

"I…. I'm sure you have better things to do than to listen to my problems…" she muttered, refusing to meet his gaze as she began shaking visibly. She thought that he'd simply leave, or maybe flip out on her, but she wasn't expecting him to wrap his arms around her.

In an instant all of her sorrows were drowned by the overwhelming warmth that came from Natsu, she hugged him back fiercely in response in a desperate attempt to get more.

They stayed in each others arms like that for awhile, not speaking a word, just holding each other.

When they finally separated, he looked into her chocolate brown orbs with wonder. ' _Damn I could get lost in these things all day…'_ he thought, not realizing that he was staring at her and making the Scarlet haired girl somewhat nervous. She blushed at him staring of course, "Um… Natsu?"

"Yeah…" he replied slowly, still looking into her eyes intently.

"You're staring…"

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

"... Your eyes…"

"What about them?"

"They're beautiful."

She blushed fully at his sudden admission and looked away to hide it. _Calm down Erza! So what if the guy you like just complimented you? That doesn't mean that you have to start freaking out and look like a tomato or anything?!'_

While Erza was in the middle of scolding herself, Natsu recovered himself and cleared his throat, making her turn her head to pay attention. He smiled again, "Don't you ever believe that I am above that kind of stuff or too busy to hear it either. We are Fairy Tail, and that means we look out for each other. If you ever need help with something, I'll be there by your side to see it through."

A single tear fell from her left eye, a trait which he never really knew of beforehand and something that made him wonder.

Of course before he could think about it he was tackled by the redhead in a bone crushing hug, he even had to wince slightly from it too. It was then that she poured her heart out to him, telling him about the tower, about her friends and her past. How she needed to be stronger in order to save her childhood friends from the blue haired man.

During her tirade, the Dragonslayer listened intently. Her sobbing was muffled as he held her close to his chest, putting her demons at bay. He said nothing as he held her, his only expression turning to one of anger towards a blue haired man. The same man that had caused Erza so much pain.

Erza herself had said that she had been told by Ultear that she was the main cause behind what happened at the Tower, and that Jellal was now evil because of the Possession Magic she had used on him. The only reason why Erza hadn't skewered the Time Wizard to pieces was because she knew how important she was to Natsu, and also because Ultear would soon be a new member of Fairy Tail.

 _Ultear must have been pretty young back then, so the Possession Spell she used couldn't have been completely one way. That blueberry must have given up control… prick… I'll have to talk with Ultear later.'_ he thought as he held a sobbing Erza in his arms, stroking her head and straightening her hair a little bit.

They stayed like that for awhile. Natsu completely forgot about the Christmas Party back at the guild while he held the Scarlet haired beauty in his arms, who stopped sobbing and was now breathing lightly on the man's chest. When she lifted her head up she had a light smile, highlighting her red eyes and puffed cheeks, "Thank you Natsu, thank you for helping me."

Natsu grinned right back at her, "Well if this happens again then I'll just have to drag you out on my next Decade Quest! Oh! Or we could do a Century Quest, that would be so cool!" he beamed, now going on about how the two would attempt one of the Coveted Missions that were rarely sent to Fairy Tail, because stuff like that never usually happened a lot.

Erza, forgetting about her sorrow entirely, giggled at the Dragonslayer's antics. Red had dusted her cheeks, _'He never fails to brighten the mood,'_ she thought to herself. She was laughing now, a devious smirk had found its way to her face. "Natsu, is your way of asking me out?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

The Dragonslayer himself had widened his eyes, being caught off guard by the Knight sitting in front of him. He recovered quickly, "And if I was?" he replied slyly, making her redden. He looked at her intently, waiting for her to fire back, but it never came as she was stuck looking at him.

She was about to reply when he put a finger on her lips, smiling all the same. "Erza, do you know the way to a man's heart?" he asked softly, somehow making her melt under his gaze and the sound of his voice. The only thing she could do was shake her head. She didn't know anything about this subject, despite the racey novels that she read. "Well… umm… it's their… uh…" she began stuttering, her face turning beet red, her mind going back to her novels.

He laughed as she struggled to find an answer, getting her to pout in response. Her eyebrows twitched in slight anger as she realized she was being made fun of, a dark aura grew around her but that did nothing to stop the Dragonslayer from laughing.

The Dragonslayer stood up from his spot on the couch, wiping a tear from his eye due to his laughter. He sighed with a smile on, "That was good, the look on your face was priceless." he then looked over to the angry Knight, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. Natsu chuckled again, "Alright, we oughta get going to the guild, I don't want Gramps or Gildarts to take all the good drinks."

The woman sighed as well, her chance missed, or at least she thought. _'Maybe not then… he does flirt with a lot women after all…'_ she thought as she stood up and walked to her bedroom. She quickly brushed her hair and washed up her face, removing any traces of the tears that she had shed. When she exited her room she Requiped into her standard Heart Kreuz Armor and took the cake from her counter that the man had brought, walking up to him with a smile on her face. "Let's go then,"

He looked confused at her holding the cake but shrugged all the same, he took the cake out of her hands and held out his other arm to her which had surprised the Knight. She reddened too, her thoughts from earlier being erased from her mind as her heart was beating faster. She took the man's arm and let him take hers, they walked out of her apartment together.

Walking down the cold, snow covered streets of Magnolia had been a sudden change for the Scarlet haired Knight. The instant she had walked outside she had begun to shiver from the sudden cold that surrounded her. She requiped into dark blue jeans and a light pink winter jacket, keeping her white blouse underneath and her knee length boots on.

The Knight was feeling better in the cold than she was under the Armor she previously wore, but she was still shivering a little bit, nothing she couldn't handle though.

Her assertions in her mind were dashed away when the man next to her wrapped his coveted scarf around her neck, taking her completely by surprise. "N-Natsu! What are you doing?!" she gasped, now blushing from his sudden action. She'd never seen him do that for anyone ever, not even Happy or Wendy, or even his pretend wife; Lisanna.

The Dragonslayer simply smiled, "You looked cold Erza."

She gazed at him for a while, looking into his Onyx Orbs. They showed so much to her, the raw emotions of a Dragon were right in front of her. The joy, happiness, pain, sorrow. She never knew what she did to deserve the man in front of her.

She smiled back at him when he held his arm out to her again, which she gladly and eagerly took in hers. He picked the cake he had put aside on the bench and they continued on their walk back to the Guild.

When they reached the doors, Natsu stopped, making her stop in turn. He turned to face her as he put his hand on the door, he smiled and said simply, "It's the stomach."

"What?" she asked confused, not knowing what he was implying.

"The way to a man's heart," he said again, now grinning. "It's through his stomach."

She stood there looking confused until she connected the dots, his question from earlier to his statement now. Before she could say anything, he winked at her and promptly walked into the door, making a hole in the door and also making an old man somewhat angry.

"DAMN IT NATSU! STOP MAKING ME BUY NEW DOORS!" Makarov yelled at the pink haired youth who had just entered the guild. The Dragonslayer in question just rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and went up to the bar where his fellow Ace was at, the Scarlet haired Titania walking behind him.

She didn't seem to be in the mood to rap the Dragonslayer over the head for once again blowing up the doors as she looked like she was fighting back a blush from Natsu's earlier statement.

Makarov appeared to have stopped fuming when he saw Erza, his expression softened. "Well I see you brought Erza here, good job. I'll let you off the hook with this one." he said gruffly, taking another swig from his mug. The small man stood up from his spot and a light enveloped him. When the light was gone, the Master of Fairy Tail now had a Santa Costume on. "LET'S PARTY!"

Everyone in the guild cheered, now since that everyone was there, even their two Aces who rarely showed up. "Lisanna, Whiskey please!" the two Aces said simultaneously, getting another round of laughter for those nearby.

Erza sat next to them, her box of cake sitting in front of her on top of the bar. Watching the two Crash Mages bicker about alcohol.

"You wanna try Scotch?" Gildarts asked the Dragonslayer questioningly, not entirely sure himself.

Natsu scratched the back of his head in wonder before he grinned brightly. "Sure! Why not?"

Suddenly Makarov appeared on the bar next to them, a large bottle in his hands along with three glasses. A pile of gifts sat all around him on the bar, the floor, and even behind the bar. "Bottoms up!" he exclaimed as he poured a golden brown liquid into the three glasses.

The two Aces and their Master clinked glasses and drank, making Erza sweatdrop in response. "Master, aren't you supposed to be handing out the gifts?" she asked, getting him to widen his eyes and pull up the first present behind him.

He pulled out a rectangular box wrapped in light blue wrapping paper with snowflakes on it, he scrunched his eyes as he read the accompanying tag on it. "Cana! This is for you!" he yelled as he threw the box at the drunken woman, who caught the box easily, even if she was drunk.

As Cana got to unwrapping her first gift, Makarov's hand went to the side while he downed another glass of the seemingly great Scotch that he was sharing with his two favorite drinking buddies.

"Damn that's smooth," he sighed relaxedly, pulling up another gift and looking at it.

"Mira!" he yelled, throwing another gift towards the white haired Demon who had gathered quite the following of men around her, but kept throwing wishful glances at a certain Dragonslayer.

The celebration continued for the Wizards of Fairy Tail. They drank and sang with each other, and they even started fights too. The most noticeable of these fights were Natsu vs Gildarts and Erza vs Mira.

Makarov figured that his two Aces could fight in the guild because it's Christmas, and he didn't even notice Erza and Mira begin their current bought.

"I should've known you were a recluse you fat cow!"

"Maybe I just didn't want to see your ugly mug you useless harlot!"

With the two Aces… Foreheads clashed against one another, angry looks on both of their faces.

"I ain't an old man you damn brat! I guess I'll just have to beat that into your head!"

"Beat me? You couldn't beat me even if I had both hands tied behind my back, old man!"

They rammed their fists into eachother's faces, making eachother fly from the impact and unintentionally starting another one of Fairy Tail's famous brawls. Surprisingly enough, Erza still took place despite her being the member who upholds the law. The fight went on until there was only four left standing; the four S-Class Wizards who were responsible in the first place.

Natsu and Erza stood next to each other as they stood across from Gildarts and Mira, the four of them panting from exhaustion as they stood in what once was the inside of the Fairy Tail guildhall.

"Give it up old man… Erza and I got you two... on the ropes," Natsu panted, still reeling from the most recent blow from the Crash Mage across from him. Mira gritted her teeth in frustration at his words, _'That should be me standing next to him! Not that red headed freak!'_

The two women locked eyes with one another, both of them worn out from the massive brawl that took place before. Despite still being up, they both knew they couldn't keep up with their respective partners as they were both panting heavily compared to the Crash Mage and the Dragon Slayer.

Gildarts laughed dryly through pants, "Ha! You're goddamn hilarious kid… you keep this up... and I might have to take this seriously!"

Natsu looked at Erza with the best winning smile he's ever given, "What do you say Erza? One last push?"

The Knight looked at her partner, breaking her gaze of death that was clashing with Mira's own look towards her. She smiled kindly back at him and nodded, they looked back at their last opponents and charged, meeting Gildarts and Mira halfway.

Later

Two hours later, the Guildhall seemed to be cleaned up somewhat from the massive brawl that took place. Everyone was bandaged up and still handing out gifts since Makarov had fainted during the brawl. Well… everyone except for Natsu and Gildarts that is; they completely forgot about everything that had happened and were currently enjoying an old bottle of scotch.

"So… how's it been with Erza? Teasing aside, I mean." the older man asked.

Natsu removed his glass from his mouth and stared at the wall in front of him, biting his lower lip. "Everything is… weird…"

Gildarts raised an eyebrow at the answer, "How so, kid?"

"She was upset about something, but she seems like she's back to normal now." the Dragon Slayer said as he glanced at the Knight, who was sitting and currently laughing with Wendy about something.

The older man grinned, "You're in, kid. Whatever you did to her back at her place must have made her forget what she was sad about to begin with." he chuckled, slapping his adopted son on the back. "I'd get after her if I were you though, Gray's been a bit sour since you both came back."

Natsu instantly looked at the Crash Mage with a look of confusion, "Seriously?" he began surprised. He knew that he used to joke about Gray having a crush on Erza when they were younger, but he didn't actually think that it was true, then again his sour mood could be for anything.

Gildarts' grin only grew as Natsu's eye grew wide, "Hey, I told you way back when about this kind of stuff. I'm surprised you didn't notice him sooner."

"Neither did Erza apparently," Natsu grumbled, making Gildarts burst out laughing in response. "I guess not kid, I guess not. But…"

The Crash Mage gave him a look of resolve, "...get after her, kid. You two have been dancing around each other long enough. I want more kids to mess around with, so you better do me proud with this one and not screw it up." Gildarts said finally, nudging the Dragon Slayer towards the Knight.

The lights in the Guildhall grew dim suddenly, and Makarov appeared on the balcony of the second floor. "And now *hic* for the final act of the night! We'll be having our annual Christmas Eve dance! I wonder which fairies I'll be seeing on the dance floor… *hic*"

 **Let's just set the stage now.**

 **Play - Un Musicien Parmi Tant D Autres, Harmonium**

Illusionary snowflakes began to flow from the ceiling, dance lights were flowing around the hall much to the amazement of the Wizards of Fairy Tail. People began pairing off with one another; Alzack had worked up the courage to ask Bisca to a dance, Nab, graciously (and carefully) led Laki to the floor as well, strangely enough Levy was dancing with both Jet and Droy, holding both of their hands in hers.

Natsu got up from his seat, receiving a final push from the man behind him, who was grinning quite happily as he got up too.

He removed the identical shoulder pads that Gildarts had as well as his cloak, just leaving him in his dark red coat that went down to his shins, his white puffy knee-length pants, and yes, his sandals too.

Walking over to her felt extremely slow, as if the world slowed entirely. She was laughing with Wendy when she made eye contact with him, she gave him a smile as he continued to approach her. When he reached his destination, there wasn't any noise but the music, neither did they speak any words. He simply offered his hand to her, and she gladly took it.

Shortly after, Gildarts walked up to Wendy and gave her an exaggerated bow. "May I have this dance, milady?" he asked jokingly, as if she were a princess. She reddened faster than Erza when reading her smutty books, but took his hand with her dainty fingers. she was half the Crash Mage's height, but they made it work.

Meanwhile, Natsu led Erza to the dance floor, where other pairings were dancing slowly. He took her left hand in his right and put his other around her waist, while she put her hand up on his shoulder. The Dragon Slayer's chest was beating rapidly, but he kept up his calm demeanor. Little did he know that the red haired woman in front of him was also struggling to keep her cool.

He gave her a twirl, letting her red hair flow free in the space around them her hand rejoined his shoulder. She began to loosen up from the tension and get comfortable with the activity they were in now, she just smiled and kept her eyes on his.

They went everywhere, which was impressive considering the size of the Guildhall and the pace they were moving at. They were turning and keeping up with each other's steps, even though Natsu had to catch himself here and there, he still kept up with Erza despite being a bit clumsy like the man who taught him.

Well, maybe being a 'bit' clumsy is different from accidentally blowing a building, but nonetheless!

When the music began pick back up again, they sped up their pace a little bit, doing dance boxes and spins.

Next thing they knew, they were both swaying from one side of the dance floor to the other. Both Wizards completely lost in each other as they looked in each other's eyes, doing various twists and spins.

They never noticed the spotlight that was placed on them, essentially singling them out from the rest of the crowd that surrounded them, but gave them ample space.

 _'How is he doing so well with this? Normally he's so clumsy… Well, I guess him choosing to be clumsy is what he does. But how can he make me melt just at the sight of him? Why can't I just block him out like everyone else?'_ She thought, hoping to not reveal her blush to the man holding her waist, hopefully the dim lighting might help her now.

Yeah, right.

 _'What is it about this girl? How is she so perfect in every way possible, such a thing should be impossible yet here we are now… How does she make it seem like all that's bad in the world, simply does not exist at all?'_ He asked himself in his head, hoping to find some kind of answer as he kept the warmest of smiles on his lips.

Elsewhere on the dance floor, Gildarts and Wendy are studying the couple from a distance, while keeping their pace relatively slow due to the height differences.

"Do you think their going to… um…" Wendy stuttered, watching Natsu and Erza hold each other's gazes. Gildarts looked back down at the young girl who was holding his hand(s) and grinned. "Kiss?" he asked with a chuckle.

The Young Dragon Slayer nodded quickly, while also reddening. Gildarts thought that she might pass out from embarrassment.

"I've been watching them avoid doing it for Nine Years. If he chickens out now, I'll make sure he won't be able to count his fingers tomorrow." he chuckled lightheartedly, as if he simply joked instead of threatening the pink haired man.

He looked over to his right and chuckled again, nudging Wendy to see what he's looking at.

A drunken Makarov appeared to have somehow coerced Porlyusica, who had come to the party due to no end of pestering from Wendy. She didn't look like she was happy about it, but she wasn't entirely annoyed either. If you looked close enough, you could see a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"You don't see that every day, little one." Gildarts whispered to the Young Dragon Slayer, as to avoid gaining Porlyusica's attention, and probably her wrath too I suppose.

Little did he know, she still heard him. But let's have him figure that out the hard way ;)

The song finally hit its it's high note, and began to die down slowly. All the dancing couples (and Levy, Jet, and Droy) slowed too, getting closer to one another.

Natsu and Erza went along as well, despite their hearts being ready to burst at any given moment. They were inching closer and closer to one another's face, Erza had somehow slinked her arms around Natsu's neck and Natsu had wrapped his arms around her waist.

They were practically breathing on each other now, the certainty and easy smile that Natsu had was gone entirely.

Erza wasn't doing all to well either, with her chest rising at a faster pace than usual. A tingling sensation spread throughout her body, but she never bothered to ask herself what it was.

Natsu looked at the creature in his arms, throwing himself into those brown orbs that he couldn't get enough of.

Then he did it.

Exactly what he should've done a long time ago, capturing her lips in his, while he wasn't rough, he was no push over. She responded in kind, equally, in fact. She pulled him towards her as the kiss deepened, their tongues battling for dominance over one another.

 **End Music**

They both separated for air, not noticing that everyone in the room was giving them weird looks.

"Goddamn, it's about time!" Cana yelled, before going down on another barrel. The guildhall erupted into cheers, so much in fact that Makarov tumbled over the bar clutching his ears.

The Dragon Slayer smiled before feeling a hand smack his back, he turned to face Gildarts, who grinned at him.

"Great Job kid, I knew you had the balls!" he bellowed before laughing. Elfman was crying at a table saying "He's a real man!"

Erza gave the Gildarts a good smack on the head for his comment, in reality she was surprised that she had just kissed the man who had stolen her heart.

The Knight smiled at her Dragon, who smiled back at her. "That was very…. enlightening." she grinned mischievously. "Cake?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "I thought you never shared your Cake with anyone."

Then she did something completely unlike her, she winked. "Maybe I'll make an exception for you,"

Before he could reply, he was dragged off to the bar to share the Cake he got for her. He thought it was good, but Erza thought it was some sort of Divine Gift sent from the Heavens.

Gildarts looked upon his son with pride, before turning to go find two mages who had disappeared during the dance. Makarov saw this and raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Where are you off to Gildarts?"

The Crash Mage turned around. "Damage control," he said simply, before he and Makarov both chuckled.

And that's how Erza's night had gone from a bad night, to something close to perfection.

 _ **Elsewhere**_

"So, we have a deal then?" the hooded man asked, he sat on a throne, observing six figures below him. They were in a dark room, with some sort of altar in the middle. Next to the throne was a Chess Board.

One of the men in the middle stepped forward. His long hair and cloak were white, he held a staff in his left hand that had a skull with tribal feathers along it. "Of course. We'll deal with Dragneel when the time comes, you just focus on getting your girl back." he said grinning wickedly.

The hooded man smiled, "Good."

He stood up and climbed down from his throne, he began inspecting the other five; four men and one woman. To be honest they were all dressed quite strangely, but it didn't matter as long as they got the job done.

"What're you lookin' at, eyesore?" the man with maroon hair asked, his purple snake coiled around him and hissed at the hooded man.

Giving a grin in response, "Nothing in particular. Dragneel is powerful, so I simply want to know whether or not you can measure up to him."

"You callin' us weak? You're lucky I ain't blowing up this damned tower right now-"

"Cobra, I am aware of your history with this place, but we are in an agreement with Jellal. Use your anger against the Dragneel brat, not now." the man in white spoke up.

Cobra huffed, his snake simply hissed at Jellal.

The man turned back to Jellal, "I assure you, we aren't one third of the Balam Alliance for nothing."

"We shall continue our preparations then. Then we'll see what Dragneel and his Fairies are made of." Jellal said, turning back and sitting on his throne. The sinister smile that was there, never left his face.

"I can't wait to see you again, Erza dearest."


	15. A Certain Steadiness

**I do not own Fairy Tail, yadda yadda, you get it.**

 **Updates may slow down, by that I mean me writing this stuff. I don't intend to give up writing this, but I do get busy with other things. Y'alls ever played D &D? Boy, is that stuff awesome.**

 **Anyways, I do want to clear the air a bit before we get started with Phantom.**

 **While I am writing this because of my frustrations with the Canon Story, for myself (just a little bit), and maybe just to get something out there, I'm also writing this to get feedback. I love to tell stories and such, and I want to know how I can improve my craft so that I might be able to tell better stories down the line.**

 **So, when I get a bunch of reviews telling me that I should have gone with the NaMiZaUl pairing, that doesn't exactly help me :(**

 **Don't get me wrong, I know that I originally said that I'd go with it and some people still want that, but I realized that if I want to do an entire retelling of Fairy Tail, then I'd have to focus on other people than just those four characters. I narrowed the main pairing down to Natsu and Erza because; That's my favorite pairing, and there are other characters in the cast that I want to focus on. Natsu and Erza will be getting their fair share of attention, but I can't disregard the others.**

 **I got stuff planned for the rest of Team Natsu, and you all will have to wait and see. I'm currently having a character development idea for Natsu jumping around in my head.**

 **I appreciate the people who have told me that they support my decision, because this is my retelling. For all of those out there who don't like what I did, there's nothing stopping you from making your own story, and there is certainly nothing that I am doing that's making you read this. If you don't like what I've done, then you don't have to stick around and complain about it, 'cause then you're just being a sally.**

 **One last thing; I've decided to buff the "Final Bosses" of the Arcs. This is so that my boy Natsu will have some challenges. I, admittedly, love awesome fights and hero moments, so there should be some tension in that department at the least.**

 **Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's get started with the Phantom Arc.**

 **Btw; If I feel in the near future that I will have to go AFK for a bit, then I'll just post a completed Chapter to keep you guys preoccupied.**

 **Over and out.**

 **{** _ **Erza**_ **}**

Erza didn't quite know what to expect. Before the surprising turn of events before Christmas, and she was used to knowing what to do. She was supposed to be sad, depressed. But someone had made all that go away, someone, who she was currently napping with right now.

The tree they were under had managed to block out the Sun's morning rays, they had apparently slept under it all night long. She looked up slightly, not wanting to wake the man whose arms she was in. He looked at peace, as if in synch with the world around them, his pink hair (even though he referred to it as salmon) fluttering about with the light breeze in the air.

Somehow, she could stand his snoring away. ' _He truly is a Dragon in that sense,'_ she thought to herself, slightly giggling from how funny he looked.

Normally she'd be wearing her armor, but she had broken out a sundress today. It was a yellow-gold colour with rose patterns going along the sides that went down to her knees, it looked as if the dress had absorbed the sun itself. She wore a tan summer hat, she had started curling her hair because he liked playing with it, as if he were a boy teasing a girl on a playground. She started to like it too, both her now curly scarlet hair and how he played with it idly whenever they were sitting near each other.

As for him? Well, he was just in his dark red coat, his cloak had been left behind at home. The rest of his attire was the same as usual, as he didn't really feel any kind of heat or cold.

It was late spring now, just a few more weeks until summer would be upon them. It had been a few months since they had finally gotten together in December, she smiled at that.

Finally.

It was because of the history they've had together that made them take this step. Well, it was more Natsu than Erza, he did ask her to dance after all. She would have asked him herself if she wasn't scared of her feelings for the man at the time, but of course she realized that he had felt the same way.

She followed the advice that he had given her that night too, and while she didn't know how to cook, she was taking lessons from Lisanna, who was completely overjoyed for the two despite pretending to be Natsu's wife.

It seemed as if they truly did live in a Fairy Tale, she snickered at that one.

Gildarts stayed at the guild a bit more often before taking another decade quest, he'd be gone for a while so the new couple wouldn't have to listen to his teasing.

The new couple themselves wouldn't stick together all the time, the appropriate amount of space was given whenever it was needed, but a new thing they would do was go on missions together. Usually before, Natsu would very much act like Gildarts in the sense that he'd show up, grab a mission, then leave. Nowadays, he stayed around in the Guild these days, which was a welcoming change for the Wizards of Fairy Tail.

Of course that doesn't mean that the newly formed Team Natsu didn't get much action, they just didn't get as much as a normal Team should have.

Natsu and Erza always offered to take the rest of the Team on Quests, and usually Wendy and the Cats would accept. But Gray and Mira were another story altogether.

Most people could understand Mira, as her infatuation with Natsu wasn't exactly hidden from the world, but Gray's sour attitude confused Erza. Both of them had cut themselves off from the rest of the guild for that matter, Cana couldn't get Gray to open up, and Mira's siblings couldn't get her to lighten up.

As Erza was thinking this over, she didn't realize that the man whose arms she was in had woken up from his slumber, slyly grinning at her in her thoughts. "What's the frown for, I can't be that bad at cuddling." he joked.

She chuckled softly, putting a hand on his cheek. "I'm thinking about the Team. We don't talk with Gray or Mira anymore, and I'm worried about them." she admitted, while he was playing with her hair.

He raised an eyebrow, "I never thought I would have seen the day where you cared about Mira,"

Erza smacked him playfully with a pout on her face, "I might be crude to her, but she's still family. And we both know that the language you use with Gildarts is much worse."

"Fair enough,"

They stayed silent for a bit longer, just looking out at the City of Magnolia. Natsu couldn't go too far away from Town because they'd have to shift, which was a pain in the ass for the Town when it was just Gildarts who needed it.

"Natsu," Erza asked.

"Hmmm?"

"How can you be this calm right now?"

He smiled.

She had melted again unwillingly, she really was a schoolgirl when it came to this man. She could understand why Ultear was still trying to get over him.

"Because a Princess is in my arms," he looked at her dreamily, almost mockingly too.

She smacked him on his arm again, a little harder this time before laughing. "That was so bad, you know."

He laughed heartily, making her red in the face again, and nestled into his chest once more. Silence followed, they both just heard birds chirping and the light wind brushing against them.

Unknown to the woman in his arms, Natsu's face fell slightly. ' _I've been holding off on talking to Mira for too long, only I can fix this rift in the team, I can't keep running away from it.'_

"Natsu?"

The Dragonslayer broke out of his thoughts, the Knight in his arms looked at him with a frown, maybe she had noticed his downcast stare. He faked a smile, "Hmm?" he hummed.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, looking at him thoughtfully albeit with a slight frown.

' _Don't ruin the moment.',_ "Nothing," he smiled again. He hugged her closer, despite what she said about his warmth, he always thought that hers was the better feeling.

He'd be wanting a lot of it these days.

 **{** _ **Mira**_ **}**

Despite popular opinion, Mira wasn't actually as sad as people made her out to be. Yeah, she was upset, but she wasn't on the border of extreme depression. This feeling was rejection, it would have to pass sometime, wouldn't it?

Mira thought that would be the case, but as she watched Natsu and Erza sway back and forth across the dance floor in her mind, she couldn't help feeling left behind. The man who she may have even loved, had chosen her rival over her.

She couldn't exactly blame him though, Erza was the golden child of the guild, everyone loved her, even if some people were afraid of her.

Her siblings tried to get her to open up, with no success. She just wanted to think, she was allowed to do that alone, right?

And she wasn't exactly ignorant either.

She noticed that Gray wasn't around the Guild as often as he used to be, and she had her suspicions as to why, but she wouldn't prod him if she was correct.

But back to her issue, cause she just needed more of that right?

Natsu and Erza, it was almost as if they were the perfect couple from day one. They never flaunted their relationship, they bounced off of each other. Erza would keep his destructive tendencies in line, and Natsu would get her to open up more often.

Of course, that could just be Mira's mind playing tricks on her, showing her what she wants but what she can't have.

Because she's a monster.

She was brought out of her thoughts from the sudden spike in noise, she looked behind her seat at the bar to see another brawl started by their resident Ace, the other Ace had gone out on a job shortly after Christmas. The older man had come to talk to her after the party too.

" _Don't be mad at them, be mad at me."_ he had said, but she wasn't angry at any of them, only at herself. She must have been too forward, that must have put him off.

Gildarts said that he had prodded Natsu towards Erza, he wanted to see them together after all, but he was tired of the inaction of the younger guild members, at least when it concerned their love interests. As a consequence of raising a Dragon Slayer since he was twelve, the Ace of Fairy Tail had stuck around the guild more often, and he had also become aware of what was happening, despite him drinking a bunch of the time.

" _What else was I supposed to do other than hang out with Natsu and the rest of you guys, and drink? Sure I could go out on another job, but I have a lot of regrets, and not being able to raise a kid because of my own habits was one of them."_ he had explained to her, and she understood. It wasn't all the time that you got a chance to make up for a past mistake, so the older man took the opportunity when he saw it.

" _I love you all dearly, but believe me when I say that it was a pain in the ass to see you and Gray be so damn scared to man- or woman up in your case, and go have a try with the person you love. You love him, right? I'm gonna assume so unless you correct me…"_

There was a fine line between love and attraction, and Mira had not corrected him even when she knew the answer. She may have told herself it was love, but it was not so.

Ever since he had left those White Roses for her, she had been smitten with him. Her village had outcasted her for having magic, they made her feel like a freak, despite what her siblings believed she did think that she was a demon.

But this boy-no, this man, made her believe that being a freak, was amazing. Natsu had dismantled any self-doubt in her mind, and self-hatred that had been there was there no longer.

Thanks to Natsu Dragneel.

She wasn't surprised by Gray's thing for her rival. Clearly he had held some form of bitterness for Natsu since the day they met, the Dragon Slayer had essentially stolen Erza's heart at the same time. The fact that he was also just under Gildarts' power level also hadn't helped, a Fire Wizard had simply shown up and destroyed his Ice Magic like it was nothing.

" _Don't get me wrong, Natsu and Erza were even worse, to the point where I was on the point of gagging whenever they spoke to each other. But I saw something between those two on his first day at the guild, immediately after your duel. Call me a romantic bullshit artist, but I liked those two since day one. The part about him being a ladies man? Yeah I'll take credit for that, it is my fault that he's not so innocent when it comes to the opposite sex."_ He finished, then giving her a hug.

" _I'll tell you what I told him though, there's other fish the sea."_

She was brought out of her musing by the man she had held in her heart- still did to an extent. Natsu looked content, but he also carried guilt with him as he tapped her on the shoulder, gaining her attention.

"Can we talk in private?" he asked slowly, almost pleading her. She nodded her head, a bit nervous about what he would want. She saw Erza smiling at them in the distance.

In the past, Mira would have thought Erza to be smiling in triumph, that she had won in the quest for Natsu's heart. But Mira saw a smile that gave encouragement and support to not only him, but her as well.

She gave them both a slight grin before walking out of the guild with Natsu to talk.

They both walked along the road, passing by various stores and citizens. Natsu received greetings from the older townsfolk, they both got looks from people of the opposite sex. Of course an odd silence protruded between them, neither of them spoke. Whenever Mira looked at the man next to him, he'd just be looking ahead towards their destination; the Park.

When they arrived, they found a bench to sit on. They both sat, watching the daily rotation of life that went on in the city of Magnolia. She realized that this was where Natsu spent time outside of the guild during the day, if he wasn't at home, on a job, or at the guild, he'd be here.

Just… thinking.

Whatever he did probably required some large amount of attention, maybe it was something he learned from Gildarts.

"Mira… how have you been?" he asked suddenly, bringing her out her thoughts.

She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, her light smile never left. She realized he was trying to make conversation, but he sounded as if he was attempting an apology.

' _You've never tried this hard before, why now?'_

"I've been better Natsu, but I'm not upset if you are wondering." she replied, then chuckled at his expression of slight relief.

"That's good," he said, getting comfortable with the situation he was in now. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry,"

"For what?" She asked confusedly, her eyebrows furrowing.

"I teased you didn't I? I made you believe that you-" he was cut off by a finger placed on his lips, her finger. She had a stern look on her face, he hoped that the She-Demon wouldn't come out to play.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Erza and I both knew what we were getting into. You have always been like that since Gildarts corrupted you," He grinned at that, she did too. "Teasing others is how you talk to us, but it also makes us better too, you fought fire with fire when you were speaking to me, and I'm not really used to that."

She took her finger away from his lips, and quickly took him by surprise. She locked lips with him for a few moments, leaving him wide-eyed as she separated from him. Mira giggled at the look on his face, shock was written all over it.

"Natus, if you are happy, whether it's with me or with Erza or whomever, then that's good enough for me." She smiled as she rubbed his cheek, he smiled brightly at her, giving her a bear hug in response.

"Thank you Mira," she heard his muffled voice say, "Even though people might think that you're a Demon, you're the best Angel I know."

When they separated, both with smiles. She asked him incredulously "What about Erza?"

"Erza's a Knight, I doubt she wants me to say otherwise since she swatted me for calling her a Princess this morning."

"And Wendy?"

"She's a Dragon, obviously." He had a look that said 'obviously' too.

They continued to sit there and talk, they joked about the habits of their guildmates, with Natsu doing the imitations and Mira doing the laughing.

Sometimes all it took was a few words.

 **{** _ **Natsu**_ **}**

When he and Mira walked back into the guild, the sun was already setting. Mira had stopped him from walking through the doors and, by extension, having Makarov rail on them about him having to buy extra doors. The two parted ways with a simple "See you later,", and the Dragon Slayer went up to his Knight, who still kept on her beautiful sundress.

She smiled when she saw the grin on his face, "I assume it went well?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. He nodded and took out a small pouch of Jewels, giving it to the woman that he just sat down next to.

"So she did kiss you then, I'll let this one slide because you were apologizing, but if I ever find you kissing another woman then-" she leaned in towards his ear to whisper her threat as Wendy, Carla, and Happy sat down across from them, actually whispering low enough so that the Sky Dragon Slayer wouldn't hear what she would say.

I'm not going to repeat what Erza said either.

Erza leaned back to look at a pale skinned Natsu, all the colour drained from his face. He slowly turned his head to look her dead in the eyes, "But Spoons aren't even that sharp…"

"What are you guys talking about?" chimed Wendy, clearly unaware of Natsu covering his nether regions protectively from Erza.

"Oh? Nothing, Wendy. Natsu and I were just talking about his alcohol consumption." A perfect smile was placed on Erza's lips, making Natsu shiver inwardly. Wendy and Happy nodded in acknowledgement, while Carla looked at Erza suspiciously as she looked back and forth between her and Natsu.

She decided to just keep to herself though.

"Yeah, I told him that he drinks too much." Happy chriped, letting Natsu regain his composure as he got ready for another battle of words with his little buddy.

"I do not!" he exclaimed, everyone else there shook their head at his statement, Erza put a hand on his shoulder. "Gildarts is obviously a bad influence on you, but as long as you keep it under control, I won't have a problem."

"I can't get drunk though…" he muttered.

"So, are we going on a mission today?" Wendy asked, as soon as she said that, Mira had plopped down right next to her, at least it seemed like that to Natsu. The She-Demon had simply walked over to their table.

"Oooo, is it dangerous? Can I come along?" She asked.

Natsu and Erza looked at each other incredulously, then back at the pair in front of them. "Not today," Natsu started, "Erza's coming over for dinner tonight, so I gotta prepare."

Gildarts, despite eating rations and dried bread and meat due to his journeys and how much distance he covers during his jobs, is actually a great cook. He taught Natsu the necessity of being able to cook for any… female company.

Among other things that is.

"Oooh! What's for dinner?!" Wendy exclaimed, obviously excited that Natsu was gonna cook something fancy or something that was goddamn delicious.

"Chef's choice, little one. Maybe you and Mira could go on a quick job while Happy and I go shopping." he replied easily, trying to ignore the pout coming off of his younger sister. He looked over to Mira, "You're welcome to join us for dinner as well if you'd like, Mira."

Mira smiled at his offer, "Thank you, Natsu. But I'm going out with Cana and Lisanna tonight and make this town ours!" she then looked over to the Sky Dragon Slayer, "I wouldn't say no to a quick mission though! Come on Wendy, let's get something from the Contract Board before Nab takes something!" she joked, taking Wendy's hand and dragging her away from the couple.

Erza and Natsu watched the two bicker with Nab, apparently he had found the perfect quest for himself. While that was going on, Erza looked at Natsu "And what about me?" she asked him.

He looked at her with the same grin as earlier, "You put on something nice, not too revealing since Wendy'll be there. I'll pick you up at the guild at Six, and I get some eye candy while I cook. Seems like a fair trade to me." he said rising up from the table.

He picked up a sleeping Happy and put the cat on his left shoulder pad that was clasped over his cloak. "See you at Six, Princess." he chuckled, the comment successfully getting a rise out of Erza as she reddened and slammed a clenched fist onto the table.

As he walked out of the guildhall he could hear her mutters, "Damn Natsu," and "I'll get him back dammit!" was what he heard the most. Everything else he heard had stroked his ego a little too much. Elfman was referring to Natsu as "The Manliest Man that has ever existed!" while other guild members were asking themselves how he hasn't been dismembered yet.

Dating Erza? I'm sure it's bound to happen.

 **Ok, now I'm sure that many of you have complaints about Mira forgiving Natsu too soon or something, and I understand, I'm not a writing god (Geez that would be cool though). Normally, people do move on from stuff like this pretty fast (God knows I've had my fair share of it), and I don't want it to last a long time, as this was one of the main reasons this shit took so long to hit the screen. It's not my best work, obviously, but I want to continue this. Writer's block is a fucking pain.**

 **You might have noticed that I changed up how the chapters work, and I like it this way. It will stay this way and will probably also stick with other stories that I'm writing (Yes there are others, consuming just Fairy Tail is another good way to get Writer's Block. Like, fuck sakes for Game of Thrones, I had such high hopes for the final season.)**

 **I'll be back.**


End file.
